Bernard Shaw and Nancy Astor

David E. Kemp is professor emeritus of drama at Queen’s University.

At first glance, it is hard to understand why Bernard Shaw and Nancy
Astor corresponded at all. He was an Irish socialist and the pre-eminent
dramatist of his time. She was a wealthy American conservative who
became the first woman member of the British House of Commons. Perhaps
there is something in the old adage that opposites attract. But there is
more to it than that. Shaw and Astor, who enjoyed a long and close
friendship for over 20 years, were both unconventional firebrands with
ready wits. Their letters illustrate both the depth of their friendship
and the pleasure they took in debating the issues of the day.

More than half of the 260 letters in this volume have never been
published, and many appear in their entirety for the first time. Editor
J.P. Wearing, who contributes an excellent introduction, arranges the
letters so that they identify political, literary, and theatrical
references and allusions and other relevant information. I was
especially moved by the letters written after the death of Charlotte
(Shaw’s wife) in 1943. Astor became increasingly concerned about
Shaw’s well-being at that time, but his letters reveal a growing
resentment toward what he felt were suffocating attentions. Despite any
tensions, the letters and the friendship continued for another seven
years until Shaw’s death in 1950.

The collection also includes correspondence between Astor and Charlotte
and between Astor and Shaw’s secretary, Blanche. Bernard Shaw and
Nancy Astor is one of the best volumes in the excellent Selected
Correspondence of Bernard Shaw series.