English writer and philosopher (1894–1963)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldous Huxley</span>

Aldous Huxley

<p><b>Aldous Leonard Huxley</b> (<span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt"><a href="/en/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English" class="wl">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span>ˈ</span><span>ɔː</span><span>l</span><span>d</span><span>ə</span><span>s</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="/en/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key" class="wl"><i title="English pronunciation respelling">AWL-dəs</i></a>; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-3"><a href="#cite_note-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[3]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-4"><a href="#cite_note-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[4]</span></a></span> His bibliography spans nearly 50 books,<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-5"><a href="#cite_note-5" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 5;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[5]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-6"><a href="#cite_note-6" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 6;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[6]</span></a></span> including novels and non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">English writer and philosopher (1894–1963)</div>
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<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Aldous Huxley, Born, Died, Resting place, Edu...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox biography vcard mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above" style="font-size:125%;"><div class="fn" style="display:inline">Aldous Huxley</div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="mw-default-size"><a href="/en/File:Aldous_Huxley_psychical_researcher.png" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Aldous_Huxley_psychical_researcher.png"><img loading="lazy"alt="Monochrome portrait of Aldous Huxley sitting on a table, facing slightly downwards." src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Aldous_Huxley_psychical_researcher.png/220px-Aldous_Huxley_psychical_researcher.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="454" data-file-height="605" data-file-type="bitmap" height="293" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Aldous_Huxley_psychical_researcher.png/330px-Aldous_Huxley_psychical_researcher.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Aldous_Huxley_psychical_researcher.png/440px-Aldous_Huxley_psychical_researcher.png 2x"></a></span><div class="infobox-caption">Huxley in 1954</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Born</th><td class="infobox-data"><div style="display:inline" class="nickname">Aldous Leonard Huxley</div><br><span style="display:none">(<span class="bday">1894-07-26</span>)</span>26 July 1894<br><div style="display:inline" class="birthplace"><a href="/en/Godalming" title="Godalming" class="wl">Godalming</a>, Surrey, England</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Died</th><td class="infobox-data">22 November 1963<span style="display:none">(1963-11-22)</span> (aged<span>&nbsp;</span>69)<br><div style="display:inline" class="deathplace"><a href="/en/Los_Angeles_County,_California" title="Los Angeles County, California" class="wl">Los Angeles County, California</a>, US</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Resting place</th><td class="infobox-data label"><a href="/en/Compton,_Guildford" title="Compton, Guildford" class="wl">Compton</a>, Surrey</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Education</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Eton_College" title="Eton College" class="wl">Eton College</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Alma<span>&nbsp;</span>mater</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Balliol_College,_Oxford" title="Balliol College, Oxford" class="wl">Balliol College, Oxford</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Occupations</th><td class="infobox-data role"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li:last-child::after{content:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:first-child::before{content:" (";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}</style><div class="hlist"><ul><li>Writer</li><li>philosopher</li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><span style="white-space:nowrap;">Notable work</span></th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="hlist nowraplinks"><ul><li><i><a href="/en/Brave_New_World" title="Brave New World" class="wl">Brave New World</a></i></li><li><i><a href="/en/Island_(Huxley_novel)" title="Island (Huxley novel)" class="wl">Island</a></i></li><li><i><a href="/en/Point_Counter_Point" title="Point Counter Point" class="wl">Point Counter Point</a></i></li><li><i><a href="/en/The_Doors_of_Perception" title="The Doors of Perception" class="wl">The Doors of Perception</a></i></li><li><i><a href="/en/The_Perennial_Philosophy" title="The Perennial Philosophy" class="wl">The Perennial Philosophy</a></i></li><li><i><a href="/en/The_Devils_of_Loudun" title="The Devils of Loudun" class="wl">The Devils of Loudun</a></i></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Spouses</th><td class="infobox-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist nowrap"><ul><li><div style="display:inline;white-space:nowrap;"><div style="display:inline-block;line-height:normal;margin-top:1px;white-space:normal;">Maria Nys</div>
   <div style="line-height:0;margin-bottom:-2px;"><span>​</span></div><span> </span><div style="display:inline-block;margin-bottom:1px;"><span>​</span></div><span>(</span><abbr about="#mwt28" typeof="mw:ExpandedAttrs" data-mw="{&quot;attribs&quot;:[[{&quot;txt&quot;:&quot;title&quot;},{&quot;html&quot;:&quot;<span typeof=\&quot;mw:Nowiki\&quot; data-parsoid=\&quot;{}\&quot;>married</span>&quot;}]]}">m.</abbr><span>&nbsp;</span>1919<span>;</span><span> </span>died<span>&nbsp;</span><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1038841319" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}</style><span class="rt-commentedText tooltip  ">1955</span><span>)</span><wbr><span>​</span></div></li><li><div style="display:inline;white-space:nowrap;"><div style="display:inline-block;line-height:normal;"><a href="/en/Laura_Huxley" title="Laura Huxley" class="wl">Laura Archera</a></div><span> </span><div style="display:inline-block;"><span>​</span></div><span>(</span><abbr about="#mwt30" typeof="mw:ExpandedAttrs" data-mw="{&quot;attribs&quot;:[[{&quot;txt&quot;:&quot;title&quot;},{&quot;html&quot;:&quot;<span typeof=\&quot;mw:Nowiki\&quot; data-parsoid=\&quot;{}\&quot;>married</span>&quot;}]]}">m.</abbr><span>&nbsp;</span>1956<span>)</span><wbr><span>​</span></div></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Children</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Matthew_Huxley" title="Matthew Huxley" class="wl">Matthew</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Relatives</th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><a href="/en/Leonard_Huxley_(writer)" title="Leonard Huxley (writer)" class="wl">Leonard Huxley</a> (father)</li><li><a href="/en/Julia_Arnold" title="Julia Arnold" class="mw-redirect wl">Julia Arnold</a> (mother)</li><li><a href="/en/Julian_Huxley" title="Julian Huxley" class="wl">Julian Huxley</a> (brother)</li><li><a href="/en/Peter_Eckersley_(engineer)" title="Peter Eckersley (engineer)" class="wl">Peter Eckersley</a> (cousin)</li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Era</th><td class="infobox-data category"><a href="/en/20th-century_philosophy" title="20th-century philosophy" class="mw-redirect wl">20th-century philosophy</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Region</th><td class="infobox-data category"><a href="/en/Western_philosophy" title="Western philosophy" class="wl">Western philosophy</a>
<ul><li><a href="/en/British_philosophy" title="British philosophy" class="wl">British philosophy</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/American_philosophy" title="American philosophy" class="wl">American philosophy</a></li></ul>
</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/en/List_of_schools_of_philosophy" title="List of schools of philosophy" class="wl">School</a></th><td class="infobox-data category"><a href="/en/Perennialism" title="Perennialism" class="mw-redirect wl">Perennialism</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><div style="display: inline-block; line-height: 1.2em; padding: .1em 0;">Main interests</div></th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/en/Aesthetics" title="Aesthetics" class="wl">Aesthetics</a></li><li><a href="/en/Mysticism" title="Mysticism" class="wl">mysticism</a></li><li><a href="/en/Philosophy_of_mind" title="Philosophy of mind" class="wl">philosophy of mind</a></li><li><a href="/en/Philosophy_of_religion" title="Philosophy of religion" class="wl">philosophy of religion</a></li><li><a href="/en/Philosophy_of_technology" title="Philosophy of technology" class="wl">philosophy of technology</a></li><li><a href="/en/Social_philosophy" title="Social philosophy" class="wl">social philosophy</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr class="note"><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><div class="collapsible-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: left;">
<div style="line-height: 1.6em; font-weight: bold;"><div>Influences</div></div>
<ul class="mw-collapsible-content" style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin-left: 0;"><li style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0"><div class="center" style="width:auto; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;"><div class="hlist ">
<ul><li><a href="/en/Gerald_Heard" title="Gerald Heard" class="wl">Heard</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Prabhavananda" title="Prabhavananda" class="mw-redirect wl">Prabhavananda</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Jiddu_Krishnamurti" title="Jiddu Krishnamurti" class="wl">Krishnamurti</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Alan_Watts" title="Alan Watts" class="wl">Watts</a></li></ul>

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</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Signature</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><span><a href="/en/File:Aldous_Huxley_signature.svg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Aldous_Huxley_signature.svg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Aldous_Huxley_signature.svg/150px-Aldous_Huxley_signature.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="585" data-file-height="178" data-file-type="drawing" height="46" width="150" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Aldous_Huxley_signature.svg/225px-Aldous_Huxley_signature.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Aldous_Huxley_signature.svg/300px-Aldous_Huxley_signature.svg.png 2x" alt="Aldous_Huxley_signature.svg"></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span class='arrow'>▲</span></footer></div>

<p>Born into the prominent <a href="/en/Huxley_family" title="Huxley family" class="wl">Huxley family</a>, he graduated from <a href="/en/Balliol_College,_Oxford" title="Balliol College, Oxford" class="wl">Balliol College, Oxford</a>, with an <a href="/en/Undergraduate_degree" title="Undergraduate degree" class="wl">undergraduate degree</a> in <a href="/en/English_literature" title="English literature" class="wl">English literature</a>. Early in his career, he published short stories and poetry and edited the literary magazine <i><a href="/en/Oxford_Poetry" title="Oxford Poetry" class="wl">Oxford Poetry</a></i>, before going on to publish <a href="/en/Travel_writing" title="Travel writing" class="mw-redirect wl">travel writing</a>, satire, and screenplays. He spent the latter part of his life in the United States, living in <a href="/en/Los_Angeles" title="Los Angeles" class="wl">Los Angeles</a> from 1937 until his death.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-7"><a href="#cite_note-7" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 7;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[7]</span></a></span> By the end of his life, Huxley was widely acknowledged as one of the foremost intellectuals of his time.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEThody1973_8-0"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEThody1973-8" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 8;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[8]</span></a></span> He was nominated for the <a href="/en/Nobel_Prize_in_Literature" title="Nobel Prize in Literature" class="wl">Nobel Prize in Literature</a> nine times,<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-9"><a href="#cite_note-9" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 9;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[9]</span></a></span> and was elected <a href="/en/Companion_of_Literature" title="Companion of Literature" class="wl">Companion of Literature</a> by the <a href="/en/Royal_Society_of_Literature" title="Royal Society of Literature" class="wl">Royal Society of Literature</a> in 1962.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-10"><a href="#cite_note-10" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 10;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[10]</span></a></span></p>

<p>Huxley was a <a href="/en/Pacifist" title="Pacifist" class="mw-redirect wl">pacifist</a>.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPoller2019139–140_11-0"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEPoller2019139–140-11" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 11;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[11]</span></a></span> He grew interested in philosophical <a href="/en/Mysticism" title="Mysticism" class="wl">mysticism</a>,<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPoller2019139–140_11-1"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEPoller2019139–140-11" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 11;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[11]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-12"><a href="#cite_note-12" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 12;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[12]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-13"><a href="#cite_note-13" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 13;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[13]</span></a></span> as well as <a href="/en/Universalism" title="Universalism" class="wl">universalism</a>,<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPoller2019139–140_11-2"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTEPoller2019139–140-11" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 11;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[11]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERoyPothenSunita2003_14-0"><a href="#cite_note-FOOTNOTERoyPothenSunita2003-14" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 14;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[14]</span></a></span> addressing these subjects in his works such as <i><a href="/en/The_Perennial_Philosophy" title="The Perennial Philosophy" class="wl">The Perennial Philosophy</a>,</i> which illustrates commonalities between <a href="/en/Western_esotericism" title="Western esotericism" class="wl">Western</a> and <a href="/en/Eastern_philosophy" title="Eastern philosophy" class="wl">Eastern</a> mysticism, and <i><a href="/en/The_Doors_of_Perception" title="The Doors of Perception" class="wl">The Doors of Perception</a></i>, which interprets his own <a href="/en/Psychedelic_experience" title="Psychedelic experience" class="wl">psychedelic experience</a> with <a href="/en/Mescaline" title="Mescaline" class="wl">mescaline</a>. In his most famous novel <i><a href="/en/Brave_New_World" title="Brave New World" class="wl">Brave New World</a></i> and his final novel <i><a href="/en/Island_(Huxley_novel)" title="Island (Huxley novel)" class="wl">Island</a></i>, he presented his visions of <a href="/en/Dystopia" title="Dystopia" class="wl">dystopia</a> and <a href="/en/Utopia" title="Utopia" class="wl">utopia</a>, respectively.</p>



Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and philosopher. including novels and non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxley family, he graduated from Balliol College, Oxford, with an undergraduate degree in English literature. Early in his career, he published short stories and poetry and edited the literary magazine Oxford Poetry, before going on to publish travel writing, satire, and screenplays. He spent the latter part of his life in the United States, living in Los Angeles from 1937 until his death. 