Samuel Johnson

Name: Samuel Johnson
Brand: Allen & Unwin
SKU: 9780571226368
Price: 39.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

A Life

By David Nokes

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Summary

Samuel Johnson, born weak and half-blind, overcame poverty and expulsion from Oxford to become the most admired figure of the eighteenth century. David Nokes offers a nuanced portrait that goes beyond Johnson's public fame as the author of the Dictionary and friend to notable figures like Reynolds, Goldsmith, and Garrick. This biography explores Johnson's complex personal life—including his troubled marriage, family struggles, and his deep relationship with Mrs Thrale—while highlighting his generosity and compassion towards the poor and marginalized.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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Samuel Johnson

$39⁹⁹

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Ideal for readers interested in historical biographies, eighteenth-century literature, and the intricate lives behind celebrated cultural figures.

From leading biographer David Nokes, an original and hugely rewarding portrait of Samuel Johnson, one of the great figures of English Literature.

From leading biographer David Nokes comes Samuel Johnson: A Life, an original and hugely rewarding portrait of Samuel Johnson, one of the great figures of English Literature.

Description

Johnson, born weak and half-blind, shambolic and poverty-stricken, became the most admired and quoted man in the eighteenth century. Thrown out of Oxford for a lack of funds, he rose to celebrity: author of the Dictionary, a friend to the king, companion of Reynolds, Goldsmith and Garrick.

David Nokes looks beyond Johnson's remarkable public persona and beyond the Johnson that Boswell to some extent created. Nokes examines his troubled relationship with his first wife, whom he married for money but felt guilty about for the rest of his life; his family, who haunted his dreams for years; and his difficult, intimate relationship with Mrs Thrale. He shows a man who gave a quarter of the government pension he received to the poor, filled his home with the blind and destitute, and bequeathed his wealth to Frank Barber, an emancipated black slave brought from Jamaica.

Insightful and engaging, Samuel Johnson draws an illuminating portrait of Johnson, his life, and world.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571226368

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 August 2010

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 27.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 349g

Pages: 448

Collections

Biography & Memoir David Nokes Musicians, Movie Stars & Creative Biographies Non-Fiction

About the Author

David Nokes was Professor at Kings College, London, where he worked on 18th century literature. His book, Jonathan Swift: A Hypocrite Reversed won the James Tait Black Prize in 1985. He also published biographies of John Gay and Jane Austen. He sadly died in 2009.