ALDOUS HUXLEY (1894 - 1963)
EARLY LIFE
Aldous Huxley was born in Surrey, England on July 26, 1894. A son of a very affluent and distinguished family of intellectuals, Huxley was raised in high society with a first class education. Due to an illness during his childhood, he went almost completely blind for a period of several years, giving him an added appreciation for images and the use of words. He graduated from Oxford and worked several odd jobs such as farmhand and school teacher before really starting his writing career.
Aldous Huxley was born in Surrey, England on July 26, 1894. A son of a very affluent and distinguished family of intellectuals, Huxley was raised in high society with a first class education. Due to an illness during his childhood, he went almost completely blind for a period of several years, giving him an added appreciation for images and the use of words. He graduated from Oxford and worked several odd jobs such as farmhand and school teacher before really starting his writing career.
WORKS
Huxley’s most famous work is Brave New World, but he wrote several other novels as well such as Chrome Yellow, Island, and Point Counter Point (music theory!) a novel written in a type of musical form. Brave New World initially had very bad reviews, with critics saying Huxley was a sheltered socialite whining about first-world problems, but people of later generations warmed up to it.
Huxley also wrote many works of non-fiction, poetry, and even screenplay, contributing to the script of the 1944 rendition of Jane Eyre, among others.
He was an astute pacifist and humanist, and became a leader in modern thought and psychology by the end of his lifetime. Also a big advocate of psychedelic drugs, his works regarding the mind and human consciousness became standard reading for many early hippies. His book The Doors of Perception even inspired the name for the popular sixties rock band The Doors.
Huxley’s most famous work is Brave New World, but he wrote several other novels as well such as Chrome Yellow, Island, and Point Counter Point (music theory!) a novel written in a type of musical form. Brave New World initially had very bad reviews, with critics saying Huxley was a sheltered socialite whining about first-world problems, but people of later generations warmed up to it.
Huxley also wrote many works of non-fiction, poetry, and even screenplay, contributing to the script of the 1944 rendition of Jane Eyre, among others.
He was an astute pacifist and humanist, and became a leader in modern thought and psychology by the end of his lifetime. Also a big advocate of psychedelic drugs, his works regarding the mind and human consciousness became standard reading for many early hippies. His book The Doors of Perception even inspired the name for the popular sixties rock band The Doors.
DEATH
In the middle of his lifetime, Huxley moved to Hollywood, California, where he would live out the rest of his life. His final request as he lay dying was for one hundred micrograms of LSD. Debilitated by age and illness and unable to speak, he had to make the request in writing to his wife. He died while having a psychedelically enlightening acid trip in 1963, on the same day as President John F. Kennedy and author C. S. Lewis.
In the middle of his lifetime, Huxley moved to Hollywood, California, where he would live out the rest of his life. His final request as he lay dying was for one hundred micrograms of LSD. Debilitated by age and illness and unable to speak, he had to make the request in writing to his wife. He died while having a psychedelically enlightening acid trip in 1963, on the same day as President John F. Kennedy and author C. S. Lewis.