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Aldous Huxley. Brave New World. Aldous Huxley. 1894-1963 Born in Surrey, England Father was an educator, publisher, editor and mother founded a school for girls Age 12 he developed a love for Shakespeare (and acted)
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Aldous Huxley Brave New World
Aldous Huxley • 1894-1963 • Born in Surrey, England • Father was an educator, publisher, editor and mother founded a school for girls • Age 12 he developed a love for Shakespeare (and acted) • Age 14 he went to Eton elite boys’ school and mom died of cancer after the first few weeks
At 16 he contracted streptococcus and went blind in both eyes for two years before a partial recovery (only sight in one eye) • Learned braille • Taught himself to play piano by ear • Traveled to Germany and France – learning languages • Dreams of being a doctor or scientist were crushed
Attended Oxford and majored in Literature • His brother hung himself during 2nd year in college • WWI – wanted to fight for England, but couldn’t because of his eyes • So he worked at a farm to contribute to war effort • Married a Belgian war refugee (weird sex life) • Had one son and wife died of cancer after 30 years and then he remarried • “Chastity is the most unnatural of sexual perversions” • Taught at Eton (George Orwell – 1984 – was one of his students) • Published BNW in 1932 • Later in his life, published Doors of Perception about LSD and psychedelic drugs (moved to CA)
Epigram of Brave New World Utopias appear to be more realizable than believed before. And we find before us a new question that is agonizing in a very different way: how to avoid their definitive realization? Utopias are possible. Life marches toward Utopia. And perhaps a new century will begin, an age where the intellectuals and cultivated classes will dream of the means to avoid Utopias and return to a non-Utopian society, less “perfect” and more free. – Nicholas Berdiaeff