Shaw, Irwin (1913-1984), was an American novelist, short-story writer, and dramatist. Many of his works involve political issues. Shaw portrayed life in the United States as a struggle against the moral sickness he saw in modern American society. Shaw’s works also reflect his ability to describe American character types.
Shaw’s first novel, The Young Lions (1948), deals with the historical significance and horror of World War II (1939-1945). Many critics still recognize this novel as his best work. Two related novels, Rich Man, Poor Man (1970) and Beggarman, Thief (1977), are set against a background of social and political events from the mid-1940’s to the late 1960’s. Nightwork (1975) is Shaw’s only comic novel. His other novels include Two Weeks in Another Town (1960); Evening in Byzantium (1973); Bread Upon the Waters (1981); and Acceptable Losses (1982). Many of Shaw’s short stories appear in Short Stories: Five Decades (1978). He also wrote a number of screenplays.
Shaw was born on Feb. 27, 1913, in New York City. He first gained recognition with his antiwar play Bury the Dead (1936), in which dead soldiers refuse to submit to being forgotten by the living. He died on May 16, 1984.
