Irwin Shaw
Irwin Shaw | |
---|---|
The Bronx, New York, U.S. | |
Died | May 16, 1984 Davos, Switzerland | (aged 71)
Occupation |
|
Notable works | Honorary Doctorate, Brooklyn College |
Spouse | Marian Edwards (1916–1996) |
Website | |
irwinshaw |
Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: The Young Lions (1948), about the fate of three soldiers during World War II, which was made into a film of the same name starring Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, and Rich Man, Poor Man (1970), about the fate of two brothers and a sister in the post-World War II decades,[1] which in 1976 was made into a popular miniseries starring Peter Strauss, Nick Nolte, and Susan Blakely.
Personal life
Shaw was born Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff in the
He began screenwriting in 1935 at age 21. In 1939 he married actress and producer Marian Edwards, daughter of silent film actor Snitz Edwards.[4] The couple divorced in 1967, remarrying two years before Irwin's death in 1984.
During World War II, he was approached by William Wyler to join his film unit. Unable to be commissioned as an officer due to his age and 1-A draft status,[5] Shaw decided to enter the Regular Army. Later, the Army, noting his background, reassigned him to the Signal Corps with George Stevens' film unit.[6] He was one of four writers attached to Stevens' command, in which he became a warrant officer. After the war, he returned to his career as a writer.
Shaw died in
Career
Drama
In the 1930s, Shaw wrote scripts for several
Furniture, and a hundred and thirty-seven dollars. His mother had always wanted a good dining-room table. She didn't have a maid, she said, so he ought to get her a dining room table. How many words for a dining-room table?
Shaw's first play, Bury the Dead (1936) was an expressionist drama about a group of soldiers killed in a battle who refuse to be buried. His play Quiet City, directed by Elia Kazan and with incidental music by Aaron Copland, closed after two Sunday performances.
During the 1940s, Shaw wrote for a number of films, including
Shaw summered at the
Novels and miniseries
The Young Lions, Shaw's first novel, was published in 1948. Based on his experiences in Europe during the war, the novel was very successful and was adapted into a 1958 film. Shaw was not happy with the film, feeling it soft-pedaled some of the serious issues from his book, but it did well at the box office.
Shaw's second novel,
While living in Europe, Shaw wrote more bestselling books, notably Lucy Crown (1956), Two Weeks in Another Town (1960), Rich Man, Poor Man (1970) (for which he would later write a less successful sequel entitled Beggarman, Thief) and Evening in Byzantium[10] (made into a 1978 TV movie).
Rich Man, Poor Man was adapted into a
His novel The Top of the Hill (1979) was made into a TV movie about the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid in 1980, starring Wayne Rogers, Adrienne Barbeau, and Sonny Bono.
His last two novels were Bread Upon the Waters (1981) and Acceptable Losses (1982).
Short stories
Shaw was highly regarded as a short story author, contributing to
In 1950, Shaw wrote a book on Israel with photos by Robert Capa named Report on Israel.
Awards
During his lifetime Shaw won a number of awards, including two
Major works
Novels
|
Plays
|
References
- ^ a b Rich Man, Poor Man, Nostagia Central. "A further sequel, Beggar Man, Thief (1978) introduced the Jordaches' previously unmentioned sister, Gretchen."
- ISBN 978-0-399-13443-2.
- Emmys. August 20, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
- ^ "Marian Shaw, Theatrical Producer, 80". The New York Times. December 31, 1996.
- ^ Miller, Gabriel William Wyler: The Life and Films of Hollywood's Most Celebrated Director University Press of Kentucky, July 19, 2013
- ^ Harris, Mark Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War Canongate Books, February 20, 2014
- ^ "The Papers of Irwin Shaw". BROOKLYN COLLEGE ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS. Archived from the original on October 22, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- ^ "Pinewood Lake website retrieved on 2010-09-10". Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ^ Images of America, Trumbull Historical Society, 1997, p. 123
- ^ https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/irwin-shaw-8/evening-in-byzantium/ Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ RICH MAN, POOR MAN: U.S. Miniseries Archived December 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Museum of Broadcast Communications.
- ^ Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present, Alex McNeil, Penguin Books, 1984.
- ^ Rudolph, Tom and Gretchen, New York Times, W. G. Rogers, October 4, 1970.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-399-13443-3
- Vince Keenan (January 9, 2012). "Book Review: Nightwork, by Irwin Shaw (1975)". Blog.vincekeenan.com. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- Irwin Shaw, "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses." The Girls in Their Summer Dresses--Irwin Shaw (1913–1984)
External links
- Brooklyn College Archives
- LitWeb: Irwin Shaw
- George Plimpton; John Phillips (Winter 1953). "Irwin Shaw, The Art of Fiction No. 4". The Paris Review. Winter 1953 (4).
- Lucas Matthiessen; Willie Morris; John Marquand (Spring 1979). "Irwin Shaw, The Art of Fiction No. 4 (Continued)". The Paris Review. Spring 1979 (75).
- Irwin Shaw at IMDbRetrieved on 2008-02-07
- Irwin Shaw at the Internet Broadway Database