Bernard Shaw: The Ascent of the Superman

by Sally Peters

Book Overview

When he died in 1950, Bernard Shaw was a Nobel laureate hailed as the second greatest playwright in the English language. At the same time, his strangely flamboyant personality, so teeming with eccentricities and contradictions, aroused unquenchable curiosity. Despite many investigations into Shaw's life and art, parts of him--parts crucial to understanding both man and artist--have remained veiled in secrecy. In this critical biography, Sally Peters...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300075006
• ISBN13: 9780300075007
• Release Date: February 1998
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Inside Shaw

If Bernard Shaw were not the second greatest playwright in the English language, this biography would not have such significance; and were it not for Shaw's multidimensional personality, this book would not possess so many fascinating dimensions. Sally Peters acknowledges her debt, and gives us a work without self-conscious authorship. It is a book that invites reading and rereading. Much has been made of Shaw's homosexuality; but Dr. Peters' focus is broader and deeper than that. A story, which often reads like the most engrossing fiction, Bernard Shaw: The Accent of the Superman, is a rewarding resource for any serious student of modern drama.

Inside Superman

Peters, Sally. Bernard Shaw: The Accent of the Superman. New Haven: Yale University Press. If Bernard Shaw were not the second greatest playwright in the English language, this biography would not have such significance; and were it not for Shaw's multidimensional personality, this book would not possess so many fascinating dimensions. Sally Peters acknowledges her debt, and gives us a work without self-conscious authorship. It is a book that invites reading and rereading. Much has been made of Shaw's homosexuality; but Dr. Peters' focus is broader and deeper than that. A story, which often reads like the most engrossing fiction, Bernard Shaw: The Accent of the Superman, is a rewarding resource for any serious student of modern drama.

Was Shaw gay?

Was Shaw gay? Dr. Peters builds a convincing argument that he probably was and that he used his vast intellect to erect every possible defense against his homosexual leanings ever coming to sustained expression. I thought I knew Shaw but I will never again look at him again now that I have read this provocative volume. I am giving it only 4 stars, however, because even my interest (and I am a fan of Shaw) could not be sustained for the entire length of this discussion of Shaw's romances/flirtations/avoidances.

Complete and wonderful

This is a complete and wonderful biography of Bernard Shaw. Dr. Peters has written a thorough and fasinating history of a complex man. For the definitive word on Shaw, read this book.