On This Day in History, February 27: A Brooklyn-Bred Literary Whiz
Irwin Shaw was born in Manhattan on Feb. 27, 1913, but his family moved to Brooklyn soon after, where he attended grade school and later, Brooklyn College.
His first successes as a playwright were “Bury the Dead” (’36) and “The Gentle People! A Brooklyn Fable” (’39), which was produced by the Theatre Guild. The setting of the latter was Brooklyn’s Sheepshead Bay.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army in Europe and later wrote for the army newspaper Stars and Stripes.