1728-1774. Irish writer, whose works include
the novel, The Vicar of Wakefield 1766; the
poem, `The Deserted Village' 1770; and the
play, She Stoops to Conquer 1773. Goldsmith
was the son of a clergyman. He was educated
at Trinity College, Dublin, and Edinburgh,
where he studied medicine 1752. After
travelling extensively in Europe, he returned
to England and became a hack writer,
producing many works, including History of
England and Animated Nature 1774. His
earliest work of literary importance was The
Citizen of the World 1762, a series of
letters by an imaginary Chinese traveller. In
1761 Goldsmith met Samuel Johnson, and became
a member of his `club'. In 1764 he published
the poem, `The Traveller', and followed it
with collected essays 1765. The Vicar of
Wakefield was sold (according to Johnson's
account) to save him from imprisonment for
debt.