BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES (OLIVER GOLDSMITH)

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

OLIVER GOLDSMITH (1728-1774) was born in Ireland the son of a protestant clergyman. After his education at various school and trinity college, Dublin, he failed to settle down to any regular professional career. He studied medicine at Edinburgh and Leydan, but never took a medical degree from either university. Indeed, he appears to have been too irresponsible to fit himself for any regular profession. For some time during his twenties he rambled the continent leading a hand-to-mouth existence and often, according to the stories he told later, living on the alms he was given for playing the flute. He made a vague claim later to have obtained a medical degree during the period but there is no evidence to support it. At the age of thirty he settled, penniless, in London to try to earn a living by writing. He did an immense amount of sheer hack work for he wrote fast and would turn his pen to almost anything that paid. However, he had found his vocation. As a writer, he had an easy and graceful style of expression that was quite individual and ran through everything he wrote. He emerged from obscurity and entered the intellectually brilliant circle of Dr. Johnson and his friends. In 1764, he achieved fame success with his long poem, The Traveler—the first of his writings to be published under his own name. In 1766 his deservedly popular novel, The vicar of wake-field, was published, long after it had been written and sold to the publisher. His first play, The Good-natured man, was first performed in 1768 and, although it was not very well received, Goldsmith sold copyright for a handsome price. His finest poem, The Deserted village, was published in 1770. His greatest popular success came with the production of his excellent comedy, she stoops to conqucr in 1773.

There are many vivid sketches of Goldsmith in Boswell’s life of Johnson. He often seemed foolish, vain and awkward in company, but he was essentially a lovable man, and his friends were affectionately tolerant of his absurdities. His warmth of personality and affection for mankind are evident in his writings.

He was buried in the temple, one of the old Inns of court and his admirers created a monument to him in Westminster Abbey, bearing a latin inscription composed by Dr. Johnson, whose generous support had meant so much to his life.