Tobias Smollett

Tobias George Smollett was an 18th century novelist and playwright originally from Dumbartonshire, but made his name in London. At the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a Glasgow doctor, and later studied medicine at Glasgow University. As a ship’s surgeon in the Carrangena expedition against the Spanish in the West Indies, Smollett lived in Jamaica until 1744.

His early plays, like his medical practice, did not succeed, but his first novel, Roderick Random (1748), was an immediate success. His books were often satirical, humourous and coarse. Although his books were well received, he was not a rich man, and relied on translations and editing for funds.

The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle (1751) was written as a satire on the Grand Tour, yet Smollett was an eager exponent of travel. One of his finest works was the travelogue Travels in France and Italy (1766).

He was quick with his temper, and made several enemies in London. In 1760 his was fined £100 and imprisoned for three months for libelling Admiral Knowles. In later years he was unwell, and lived abroad for his health. Smollett died in Livorno in Italy in 1771, the year in which his finest novel, The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker, was published.