Samuel Johnson
/ˌsæmjuəl ˈdʒɒnsn/
/ˌsæmjuəl ˈdʒɑːnsn/
- (1709-84) an English writer and critic, often referred to as Dr Johnson. He is remembered for his many clever remarks (mostly recorded by his friend James Boswell, who wrote his life story) and his Dictionary of the English Language (1755). Among his other important books are Rasselas (1759), which he wrote in a week to pay his mother's funeral expenses, and The Lives of the Poets (1779-81). He was an important figure in 18th-century London, and started a club (called simply The Club) with friends such as David Garrick, Edward Gibbon and Joshua Reynolds. He remained poor all his life, but his great reputation as a writer and humorous speaker brought him the honorary title of Doctor from Oxford University in 1775. His house in Gough Square, London, is now a museum.“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”