Irwin shaw biography

1. Biography of Irwin Shaw
2. Early Life and Career
3. Success and Controversy
4. Legacy and Awards

Biography of Irwin Shaw

Irwin Shaw was an American writer and screenwriter, best known for his first novel "The Young Lions". He was born in the South Bronx, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. Shortly after Irwin's birth, the family moved to Brooklyn and changed their surname to Shaw.

Early Life and Career

Shaw's youth was spent in Brooklyn, where he graduated from Brooklyn College in 1934 with a bachelor's degree. At the age of 21, Shaw began writing screenplays, including those for radio dramas such as "Dick Tracy". In 1936, his play "Bury the Dead" was first performed, depicting a group of soldiers who died in battle.

In the 1940s, Shaw wrote screenplays for several films, including "The Talk of the Town," a comedy that addressed the theme of civil liberties. He also served in the United States Army as a warrant officer during World War II.

Success and Controversy

Shaw's first novel, "The Young Lions," was published in 1949 and was based on his experiences during the war. The novel became highly successful and was adapted into a film in 1958. However, Shaw was disappointed with the film adaptation, as he believed it did not do justice to the original text.

His second novel, "The Troubled Air," which described the rise of McCarthyism, was published in 1951. After being falsely accused of having communist beliefs in the infamous anti-communist publication "Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television," Shaw was blacklisted by Hollywood studios. In 1951, he left the United States and spent the next 25 years in Europe, primarily in Paris and Switzerland.

During his time in Europe, Shaw wrote several screenplays, including "The Moon Is Blue" (based on Eugene O'Neill's play) and "Fire Down Below" (about a tramp steamer in the Caribbean Sea). He also published several books, including "Lucy Crown" (1956), "Two Weeks in Another Town" (1960), and the novel "Rich Man, Poor Man" (1970), which later had an unsuccessful sequel titled "Beggarman, Thief". The television series based on "Rich Man, Poor Man" was highly successful, airing in 1976. A Soviet television series adaptation of the novel was also produced in 1982.

Legacy and Awards

Irwin Shaw received several prestigious awards and accolades during his career, including two O. Henry Awards, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, and three Playboy Awards. He passed away in Davos, Switzerland, at the age of 71.