Irwin Shaw is an American writer and screenwriter. Celebrity brought him his debut novel "Young Lions". All the stories and novels created by the author have not lost their popularity to the present.
The writer and playwright had a unique gift for combining depth and intense intrigue in one work. The show masterfully built the plot, brought all the dialogues to perfection, created vivid images of the heroes. This is one of the few authors who know how to convey high meaning in an engaging and simple form. The writer's creativity is reflected in many exciting books.
The beginning of the path to literature
Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff was born in New York, in an emigrant family of immigrants from Russia, in 1913. The biography of the future famous writer began on February 27. Soon the parents with the baby moved to Brooklyn. There he spent all his childhood with the youth of the writer.
The adults who wanted to become like everyone else changed their surname to Shaw when the child turned ten. However, the boy was so proud of his roots that he refused to assimilate until the completion of the school course. He even convinced the parents of the need for a bar mitzvah ritual.
The affairs of the head of the family went very badly during the Great Depression. The son went to work in a factory, he worked part-time in stores. Irwin was educated at Brooklyn College with a BA.
At twenty-one, the young man began creating scripts for a radio show. With "Dick Tracy" he started his literary career. In 1936, the aspiring playwright's debut play Bring the Dead to Earth was staged. The play was shown in New York. The work told about a group of soldiers who died in battle. The success was deafening. After him, a contract was signed with Irwin.
The author continued to work in Hollywood. He created screenplays for films. The young author's prose attracted more and more. Shaw immediately realized that his literary aspirations did not in any way harmonize with cinema. However, he did not leave the work, combining with the writing of serious works. In the author's books, the idea of the need to resist evil was seen.
The heyday of activity
Social stories were published in influential New York publications. In 1940, Shaw created scripts for several paintings. He became famous for his work for the comedy film "The City Speaks" on the subject of civil liberty.
His works Welcome to Our City and Sailor from Bremen reflect the social heterogeneity and conflicts in the metropolitan areas of his time. The images of Jewish emigrants are conveyed with observation and unobtrusive humor. The books deal with the theme of anti-Semitism, shown as the highest measure of injustice.
In the essay "Inhabitants of Other Cities" the action takes place in Kiev 1918. A young Jewish artist tells about what is happening. After the pogrom, he realizes that creativity is by no means the most important thing in life. He sharply rejects the submissiveness of the head of the family and proceeds to implement revenge.
From Shaw's debut compilations, critics highlighted the genius of the plot, the richness of the style. The creator of the books was named a talented representative of the young author's generation. In 1942 the writer went to the front. He served as a correspondent, was an officer in a special unit made up of personalities engaged in creative professions who narrate about frontline events.
In 1949, his debut novel Young Lions was written and published. The action is based on real military events experienced by the writer. Irwin described the related stories of three young people. Its heroes were the German soldier Christian Distl, the American Jew Noah Ackerman, the bohemian American Michael Whitecrew, who did not change his usual way of life even during the war.
The successful work was filmed. However, due to strong differences from the original, the playwright did not suit the cinnabar version. A new book, titled "Disturbed Air," chronicled the rise of McCarthyism. The work was published in 1951. At the same time, the author left America, moving to live in Europe for a quarter of a century. There Shaw wrote screenplays and novels that immediately became bestsellers.
Iconic works
Published in 1956, the book "Lucy Crown" tells the story of a heroine, wife and mother. In the summer of 1937, she began an affair with a young man who became Tony's companion, her son.
In 1960, a new composition, "Two weeks in another city," appeared. Roman instructs to rethink what has been lived and to think. The author shows that the moment has come for change and attempts to correct past failures, while simultaneously expressing doubts about the onset of change.
In 1970, the novel The Rich Man, the Poor Man was published. In 1976, a successful TV series was created on its basis. The sequel to the book titled "The Beggar Thief" did not receive positive responses.
The talented writer has received many prestigious awards. He is the recipient of two O. Henry Prizes for Best Short Stories. Also honored with the American Academy of Arts and Letters Show Prize. He also has three Playboy awards. The show was nominated in 1943 for an Oscar for Best Screenplay Adaptation.
The writer also established his personal life. The creator of romance Marian Edwards became his wife. In 1950, the only child of the prose writer, the son of Adam, was born in the family. He later became a journalist and writer.
The author of many works left this life in 1984, on May 16. He enjoyed considerable popularity. His works have been translated into twenty-five languages, a considerable amount of his work has been filmed. During his lifetime, some critics treated the work of the show with slight condescension, calling the books "semi-art", but after the writer's departure, his legacy was seriously studied.
