Oliver Goldsmith

Anglo-Irish writer, poet, and physician of the 18th century

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About

Oliver Goldsmith was born in Ireland, probably in 1728, into a modest family. After studying at Trinity College Dublin, he studied medicine in Edinburgh and Leiden without obtaining a degree. Settled in London in 1756, he became a successful writer. A founding member of Samuel Johnson's Club, he published major works such as The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) and the play She Stoops to Conquer (1773). He died in London in 1774 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

* 1728-11-10 — † 1774-04-04

Major works

  • The Citizen of the World (1762)essays
  • The Traveller (1764)poem
  • The Vicar of Wakefield (1766)novel
  • The Good-Natur'd Man (1768)play
  • She Stoops to Conquer (1773)comedy

Key milestones

  • 1764Becomes one of the nine founding members of The Club, alongside Samuel Johnson, Joshua Reynolds, and Edmund Burke.
  • 1773His comedy She Stoops to Conquer premieres at Covent Garden and remains his most enduring stage work.
  • 1774Dies in London on April 4; a white marble memorial is erected in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey.

Themes

Rural life and nostalgiaSocial criticismComedy of mannersTravel and observationSimplicity and virtue

Sources: britannica.com · dev.westminster-abbey.org · poetryfoundation.org