Oliver Goldsmith

Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish poet, novelist, playwright, and hack writer. A prolific author of various literature, he is regarded among the most versatile writers of the Georgian era. His comedy plays for the English stage are considered second in importance only to those of playwright William Shakespeare, and his sentimental novel ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1766) was one of the most popular literary works among the British citizenry in the 18th century, having influenced later English authors Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Mary Shelley.

He also wrote plays such as ''The Good-Natur'd Man'' (1768) and ''She Stoops to Conquer'' (1771), as well as the poem ''The Deserted Village'' (1770). Goldsmith is additionally thought by some literary commentators, including Washington Irving, to have written the 1765 classic children's novel ''The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes'', one of the earliest and most influential works of children's literature.

Goldsmith settled in London in 1756, and the majority of his works were written after this period. Beginning in the 1760s, he maintained a close friendship with Samuel Johnson, another prolific English writer who played a significant role in promoting his poems. His personal mentorship and guidance resulted in Goldsmith expanding his literary writings to include political works. This long-term collaboration between the two authors has been described as "one of the most fruitful intellectual partnerships in 18th-century English letters." In 1764, he became one of the first members of Johnson's literary circle, known as ''The Club''. Goldsmith also produced a very large number of poems and assorted writings during his career, and contributed to the flourishing of idyllic poetry during the Georgian era.

He died in 1774 in London, and was buried in Temple Church. His novel ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' has since become a classic of English literature, and remains widely read and taught in literary circles. Provided by Wikipedia