Aldous Huxley was born on 26th July 1894 near Godalming, Surrey. He began writing poetry and short stories in his early twenties, but it was his first novel, 'Crome Yellow' (1921), which established his literary reputation. This was swiftly followed by 'Antic Hay' (1923), 'Those Barren Leaves' (1925) and 'Point Counter Point' (1928) - bright, brilliant satires in which Huxley wittily but ruthlessly passed judgement on the shortcomings of contemporary society. For most of the 1920s Huxley lived in Italy and an account of his experiences there can be found in 'Along The Road' (1925).
In the years leading up to the Second World War, Huxley's work took on a more sombre tone in response to the confusion of a society which he felt to be spinning dangerously out of control. The great novels of ideas, including his most famous work 'Brave New World' (published in 1932 this warned against the dehumanising aspects of scientific and material 'progress') and the pacifist novel 'Eyeless in Gaza' (1936) were accompanied by a series of wise and brilliant essays, collected in volume form under titles such as 'Music at Night' (1931) and 'Enda and Means' (1937).
In 1937, at the height of his fame, Huxley left Europe to live in California, working for a time as a screenwriter in Hollywood. As the West braced itself for war, Huxley came increasingly to believe that the key to solving the world's problems lay in changing the individual through mystical enlightenment. The exploration of the inner life through mysticism and hallucinogenic drugs was to dominate his work for the rest of his life. His beliefs found expression in both fiction ('Time Must Have a Stop', 1944 and 'Island', 1962) and non-fiction ('The Perennial Philosophy', 1945, 'Grey Eminence', 1941 and the famous account of his first mescalin experience, 'The Doors of Perception', 1954.
Huxley died in California on 22nd November 1963.
In the years leading up to the Second World War, Huxley's work took on a more sombre tone in response to the confusion of a society which he felt to be spinning dangerously out of control. The great novels of ideas, including his most famous work 'Brave New World' (published in 1932 this warned against the dehumanising aspects of scientific and material 'progress') and the pacifist novel 'Eyeless in Gaza' (1936) were accompanied by a series of wise and brilliant essays, collected in volume form under titles such as 'Music at Night' (1931) and 'Enda and Means' (1937).
In 1937, at the height of his fame, Huxley left Europe to live in California, working for a time as a screenwriter in Hollywood. As the West braced itself for war, Huxley came increasingly to believe that the key to solving the world's problems lay in changing the individual through mystical enlightenment. The exploration of the inner life through mysticism and hallucinogenic drugs was to dominate his work for the rest of his life. His beliefs found expression in both fiction ('Time Must Have a Stop', 1944 and 'Island', 1962) and non-fiction ('The Perennial Philosophy', 1945, 'Grey Eminence', 1941 and the famous account of his first mescalin experience, 'The Doors of Perception', 1954.
Huxley died in California on 22nd November 1963.
Genres: Science Fiction
Novels
Crome Yellow (1921)
Antic Hay (1923)
Those Barren Leaves (1925)
Point Counter Point (1928)
Brave New World (1932)
Eyeless in Gaza (1936)
After Many a Summer Dies the Swan (1939)
Time Must Have a Stop (1944)
Ape and Essence (1948)
The Genius and the Goddess (1955)
Island (1962)
Antic Hay (1923)
Those Barren Leaves (1925)
Point Counter Point (1928)
Brave New World (1932)
Eyeless in Gaza (1936)
After Many a Summer Dies the Swan (1939)
Time Must Have a Stop (1944)
Ape and Essence (1948)
The Genius and the Goddess (1955)
Island (1962)
Omnibus
Collections
The Burning Wheel (poems) (1916)
The Defeat of Youth (poems) (1918)
Limbo (1918)
Mortal Coils (1922)
Young Archimedes (1924)
Selected Poems (poems) (1925)
Two or Three Graces (1926)
Arabia Infelix and Other Poems (poems) (1929)
Leda (poems) (1929)
Brief Candles (1930)
The Cicadas (poems) (1931)
Rotunda (1932)
The Olive Tree (1936)
Ends and Means (1937)
Stories, Essays, and Poems (1942)
Little Mexican (1948)
Themes and Variations (1950)
Quintet (1956) (with Guy de Maupassant, William Saroyan, Leo Tolstoy and Richard Wright)
After the Fireworks (1957)
The Art of Seeing (1957)
The Collected Poetry of Aldous Huxley (poems) (1971)
The World of Aldous Huxley (1971)
Collected Short Stories (1975)
The Defeat of Youth (poems) (1918)
Limbo (1918)
Mortal Coils (1922)
Young Archimedes (1924)
Selected Poems (poems) (1925)
Two or Three Graces (1926)
Arabia Infelix and Other Poems (poems) (1929)
Leda (poems) (1929)
Brief Candles (1930)
The Cicadas (poems) (1931)
Rotunda (1932)
The Olive Tree (1936)
Ends and Means (1937)
Stories, Essays, and Poems (1942)
Little Mexican (1948)
Themes and Variations (1950)
Quintet (1956) (with Guy de Maupassant, William Saroyan, Leo Tolstoy and Richard Wright)
After the Fireworks (1957)
The Art of Seeing (1957)
The Collected Poetry of Aldous Huxley (poems) (1971)
The World of Aldous Huxley (1971)
Collected Short Stories (1975)
Plays
Picture Books
Novellas
Non fiction
On the Margin (1923)
Along the Road (1925)
Essays New and Old (1926)
Proper Studies (1928)
Do What You Will (1929)
Holy Face and Other Essays (1929)
Vulgarity in Literature (1930)
Jesting Pilate (1932)
Texts and Pretexts (1933)
Beyond the Mexique Bay (1934)
The Elder Peter Bruegel 1528(?) - 1569 (1938) (with Jean Videpoche)
The Perennial Philosophy (1938)
Grey Eminence (1941)
Science, Liberty and Peace (1946)
The Devils of Loudun (1952)
The Doors of Perception (1954)
Adonis and the Alphabet (1956)
Heaven and Hell (1956)
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (1956)
Brave New World Revisited (1958)
On Art and Artists (1960)
Aldous Huxley: A Collection of Critical Essays (1968)
Letters of Aldous Huxley (1969)
The Doors of Perception / Heaven and Hell (1972)
Music at Night (1975)
Moksha (1980)
Complete essays (2000)
Along the Road (1925)
Essays New and Old (1926)
Proper Studies (1928)
Do What You Will (1929)
Holy Face and Other Essays (1929)
Vulgarity in Literature (1930)
Jesting Pilate (1932)
Texts and Pretexts (1933)
Beyond the Mexique Bay (1934)
The Elder Peter Bruegel 1528(?) - 1569 (1938) (with Jean Videpoche)
The Perennial Philosophy (1938)
Grey Eminence (1941)
Science, Liberty and Peace (1946)
The Devils of Loudun (1952)
The Doors of Perception (1954)
Adonis and the Alphabet (1956)
Heaven and Hell (1956)
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (1956)
Brave New World Revisited (1958)
On Art and Artists (1960)
Aldous Huxley: A Collection of Critical Essays (1968)
Letters of Aldous Huxley (1969)
The Doors of Perception / Heaven and Hell (1972)
Music at Night (1975)
Moksha (1980)
Complete essays (2000)
Anthologies containing stories by Aldous Huxley
Great Short Stories of Detection, Mystery and Horror 1st Series (1928)
The Mammoth Book of Thrillers, Ghosts and Mysteries (1936)
Master Stories of the Twentieth Century (1963)
Great British Short Stories (1974)
Ten From the Twenties (1975)
The Mammoth Book of Thrillers, Ghosts and Mysteries (1936)
Master Stories of the Twentieth Century (1963)
Great British Short Stories (1974)
Ten From the Twenties (1975)
Short stories
The Dwarfs | |||
Young Archimedes [short story] | |||
The Gioconda Smile (1922) | |||
Two Or Three Graces [short story] (1926) |
Books about Aldous Huxley
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