George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist, and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture, and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913), and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Born in Dublin, Shaw moved to London in 1876, where he struggled at first to establish himself as a writer and novelist but eventually became a respected theatre and music critic. A political awakening led him to join the Fabian Society, where he became its most prominent pamphleteer. Shaw's first public success as a playwright came with Arms and the Man (1894). He was influenced by Henrik Ibsen and sought to introduce a new realism into English-language drama, using his plays as platforms for his political, social, and religious ideas. By the early 20th century, his reputation was secured with a series of popular and critical successes.

Shaw's views were often contentious: he promoted eugenics and alphabet reform, opposed vaccination and organized religion, and denounced both sides in the First World War. Despite this, his standing as a dramatist remained strong. In 1938, he won an Academy Award for his screenplay for a filmed version of Pygmalion. In his later years, he expressed admiration for dictatorships of both the right and left.

Despite controversy, Shaw is regularly rated among British dramatists as second only to Shakespeare. His ideas and methods, encapsulated in the term "Shavian," have significantly influenced generations of playwrights.