Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was an English writer and philosopher who authored nearly 50 books across various genres, including fiction, non-fiction, essays, narratives, and poems. Huxley was known for his interest in philosophical mysticism, universalism, and pacifism. He explored these themes in his works such as The Perennial Philosophy, which highlighted similarities between Eastern and Western mysticism, and The Doors of Perception, which chronicled his own experiences with psychedelic drugs. Huxley's most famous works were Brave New World, a dystopian novel, and Island, a utopian novel. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature nine times and was elected Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature in 1962.