It’s the birthday of James Boswell (1740-1795), who wrote what is considered to be the greatest biography in the English language, Life of Samuel Johnson (2 volumes, 1791), which broke with boring old staid tradition by incorporating actual conversations Boswell had with Johnson and bringing the man to life with vivid personal details. Boswell was [...]
It’s the birthday of one of the most celebrated intellectuals of the 18th century, Samuel Johnson, who authored A Dictionary of the English Language and about whom I posted last year. But there is a remarkable dearth of other interesting authors born on this day. It’s as if Johnson in all his brilliance has just [...]
It’s the birthday of one of the most important intellectual and literary figures of the 18th century, Samuel Johnson (1709-1784). Johnson wrote everything from essays to biography to poetry but is best known for his Dictionary of the English Language. Johnson was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, and had lifelong health problems after contracting tuberculosis [...]