Smollett, Tobias George

Smollett trained as a surgeon but was unsuccessful in his medical practice.  published The Adventures of Roderick Random in 1848 to great acclaim.  His Complete History of England (1757 - 58) was his first commercial success.  In 1760, Smollett was imprisoned for libel.  Leaving England for travel on the continent, he published Travels in France and Italy, which Sterne parodied, in 1765.  He published his best novel, The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker, in 1771, the year of his death.

Scottish author, editor, translator and physician, Smollett is famous as a satirical novelist. He had superb narrative power which enabled him to present ludicrous circumstances with great effect.