Oliver Goldsmith

Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish writer of novels, poems, and plays. His 1766 novel, ''The Vicar of Wakefield'', was one of the most popular and influential literary works of 18th-century Great Britain. He also wrote the notable plays ''The Good-Natur'd Man'' (1768) and ''She Stoops to Conquer'' (1771), as well as the social commentary poem ''The Deserted Village'' (1770). Goldsmith is additionally thought by some literary commentators, including Washington Irving, to have written the 1765 classic children's tale ''The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes'', one of the earliest and most influential known works of children's literature.

Goldsmith maintained a close friendship with Samuel Johnson, another prolific English writer. His personal mentorship resulted in Goldsmith expanding his literary style to include political writings. This long-term collaboration between the two authors has been described as, "one of the most fruitful intellectual partnerships in eighteenth-century English letters." He later became a member of Johnson's literary circle, known as The Club. Provided by Wikipedia