Life of Johnson

In English literature, Life of Johnson was a biography of Dr. Samuel Johnson written by James Boswell in 1791. Although Johnson was undoubtedly a brilliant essayist, lexicographer and acerbic wit, the preservation of this reputation is largely due to Boswell's book. Life of Johnson is also regarded as an important stage in the development of the modern genre of biography, and some have even claimed it as the greatest work of biography written in English.

Boswell's personal acquaintance with Johnson was only from 1763-1784. Boswell still covered the entirety of his life from 1709 through additional research, but the best remembered portions of the book are those based upon Boswell's personal relationship with Johnson.

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