Wit and Acid

George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) was Nobel Prize-winning writer, political activist and critic. One of the most important writers of the twentieth century, he has been described as 'second only to Shakespeare in the British theatrical tradition'. Although he wrote over sixty plays, he is best remembered today for Man and Superman, Pygmalion and Saint Joan. Simon Mundy studied drama at university, but soon veered towards writing poetry and reviews, and at 23 he found himself a music critic and arts journalist. A champion of the arts, he has served as Director of the National Campaign for the Arts and Vice-President of PEN International's Writers for Peace Committee, and he co-founded the European Forum for the Arts and Heritage; he remains an adviser to the European Festivals Association. His writing includes biographies, novels, non-fiction, playscripts and poetry.

'He was a Tolstoy with jokes, a modern Dr Johnson, a universal genius who on his own modest reckoning put even Shakespeare in the shade.' (The Independent)