Back to Methuselah

Back to Methuselah brings George Bernard Shaw’s approach to comedy, drama, science fiction into clear focus first published in 1921. Back to Methuselah: A Metabiological Pentateuch is a cycle of five plays written between 1918 and 1920. Shaw proposes a radical solution to humanity's problems: people must evolve to live for centuries instead of decades. Only through extended lifespans, he argues, can humans gain the wisdom needed to govern complex civilizations. The plays span from the Garden of Eden to the year 31,920, exploring how humanity might transform through Creative Evolution and the Life Force to achieve this extraordinary longevity. By returning to Drama, the work links personal experience with wider social, moral, or imaginative concerns. Form and tone matter throughout, with an imaginative style shaped by invention, tension, and intellectual curiosity. At roughly 112,506 words with an average difficulty reading profile, it offers a reading commitment that is easy to judge before beginning while still leaving room for close attention. The work remains relevant through its place in the development of speculative literature and its continuing questions about progress and humanity. It remains worth reading for the precision with which it turns Drama into a sustained literary experience.