Samuel Johnson: podcast appearances and interviews

Samuel Johnson, often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English writer and polymath known for his extensive contributions to literature, language, and criticism. Born in Lichfield in 1709, he attended Pembroke College, Oxford, but had to leave owing to financial difficulties. Johnson was a versatile figure who worked as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. His most famous work is his 42,733-entry Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1755, which has been regarded as one of the greatest achievements of scholarship and has had a lasting impact on modern English. His other notable works include the poem London, the biography of Richard Savage, and the play Irene. Johnson traveled to Scotland with his friend James Boswell, documenting their journey in A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland. Near the end of his life, he authored the highly influential Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, a series of biographies and critical essays on fifty-two poets from the 17th and 18th centuries. A devout Anglican and a Tory, Johnson was known for his physical presence, which included deafness in one ear, blindness in one eye, and gestures and tics that led biographers to suggest he may have had Tourette syndrome. He died in 1784 at the age of 75 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Johnson's legacy includes a profound influence on literary criticism, biography, and the development of the English language.