Aldous Huxley was an influential English writer and philosopher. He examined society’s hypocrisies and ironies through satire and was interested in the commonalities between Eastern and Western philosophy. His notable works include ‘Brave New World,’ ‘The Doors of Perception,’ and ‘Point Counter Point.’
Life Facts
- Aldous Huxley was born in Surrey, England on 26th July 1894.
- He began his schooling at Hillside School, where his mother taught him, and then proceeded to Eton College.
- He studied English Literature at Balliol College in Oxford University.
- Huxley completed his first novel when he was 17, and published his magnum opus, ‘Brave New World’ in 1932.
- Aldous Huxley died in 1963.
Interesting Facts
- Aldous Huxley came from a well-known family. His grandfather and two of his brothers were illustrious biologists, and his father was a writer, schoolmaster, and magazine editor.
- Aldous Huxley was prevented from taking up a career in Medicine by an eye illness developed in his teenage years.
- He experimented with psychedelics like mescaline to induce mystical experience in himself.
- While a screenwriter in Hollywood in the late 1930s, Huxley used most of his income to help transport refugees from Nazi Germany to the United States.
- By coincidence, Huxley died on the same day John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Famous Books by Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley was a prolific writer whose writing ranged a wide variety of topics and genres including fiction, philosophy, and poetry. Some of his most famous books include:
‘Point Counter Point’ — Published in 1928, this novel is a series of interlinking narratives involving real-life characters disguised with fictional names. The novel is based on people whom Aldous Huxley knew.
‘Doors of Perception’ — This work records the details of the psychedelic visions Aldous Huxley experienced in an experiment on mysticism under the influence of mescaline. It was published in 1953 as a series of psychological and philosophical impressions developed from insights he received.
‘Island’ — The novel, published in 1962, is the last book Huxley wrote. ‘Island’ follows the story of a journalist shipwrecked on an island and is Huxley’s manifesto of what a utopia should be.
‘The Perennial Philosophy’ — This is Huxley’s attempt to find themes common to all religions and philosophies in the world. It is a work of comparative philosophy and draws insight from both Eastern and Western faiths.
‘Brave New World’ — ‘Brave New World’ is a classic dystopian novel set in a futuristic society where advanced technology and a powerful government have eliminated pain, suffering, and conflict. Citizens are conditioned from birth to accept their roles in a caste system, and the pursuit of individuality and deep emotions is discouraged. The narrative follows Bernard Marx and John “The Savage”, two characters who find it difficult to fit into the rigid society in which they find themselves.
Early Life and Education
Aldous Huxley was born on July 25 1894 to Leonard and Julia Huxley. He came from an illustrious family. His grandfather and brothers were well-known biologists and his mother was the niece of Matthew Arnold and the founder of Prior’s Field School. His childhood nickname was Ogie.
Huxley began his education in his father’s botany lab and was taught by his mother at Hillside School until she became too terminally ill with cancer. He continued his education at Eton College. His mother died in 1908 when he was only 14 and he contracted an eye disease three years later that made him almost blind. When WWI broke out, he volunteered to join the army but was rejected on account of his bad eyesight. However, he regained most of his eyesight.
He studied English Literature at Balliol College, Oxford. Indebted to his father, he got a job teaching French at Eton for a year, where George Orwell was also his pupil.
Literary Career
Huxley was seventeen when he completed his first novel but he did not publish it. He began writing seriously in his twenties and his first novels were primarily satires, including the roman-a-clef, ‘Point Counter Point’. His first published work, ‘Crome Yellow’, satirized the lifestyle in Garsington Manor, where he lived during WWI and worked as a farm laborer.
While he was living in London, he published a novel dealing with the theme of pacifism, ‘Eyeless in Gaza’ in 1936, and his magnum opus, ‘Brave New World’, on the dangers of scientific progress unchecked by humanistic ideals, in 1932.
He moved to Hollywood with his wife and son in 1937 to become a screenwriter. It was while in the US that he became interested in and ardent of Vedantism. He also began to explore Eastern philosophical traditions and sought to find common themes between Western and Eastern traditions. These explorations resulted in the work ‘The Perennial Philosophy’.
In 1953, inspired by the mystical experiences of Native Americans using perception-altering substances, Aldous Huxley began to experiment with mescaline to induce psychedelic visions to draw philosophical and psychological insights. He published the record of the experience in the book, ‘Doors of Perception’.
His final novel, ‘Island’, published in 1962, was Huxley’s answer to the dystopia of ‘Brave New World’, and his own utopian manifesto.
Later Life, Death and Influence
After the death of Aldous Huxley’s first wife, Maria, in 1955, he married Laura Archera, an Italian psychotherapist, who remained his wife till his death.
Huxley turned down an offer to be knighted by the British Government in 1959. His brothers were made knights instead. He also applied for US Citizenship, but his refusal to bear arms for the US became an issue and he withdrew his application. However, he remained in the United States until his death.
He was invited to be a visiting professor of humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times.
Huxley died on 22 November 1963 from laryngeal cancer. Incidentally, the writer C.S. Lewis also died that day. However, the news of both deaths was overshadowed by the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which happened on the same day.
Literature by Aldous Huxley
Explore literature by Aldous Huxley below, created by the team at Book Analysis.