The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

Laurence Sterne (24 November 1713 – 18 March 1768) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and an Anglican clergyman. He wrote the novels The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, and also published many sermons, wrote memoirs, and was involved in local politics. Sterne died in London after years of fighting tuberculosis. Sterne grew up in a military family and spent his youth traveling from place to place, never remaining in any location for over a year. Sterne's wealthy uncle provided the funds for Sterne to attend Hipperholme Grammar School as Sterne's father was ordered to Jamaica where he would die of malaria a few years later. Sterne's A Political Romance, an ecclesiastical satire, received harsh criticism by the church and was burnt. Having discovered a talent for writing, Sterne published the first few volumes of his best-known novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentlemen. Sterne struggled with tuberculosis and traveled to France to find relief from his illness. His travels in France were documented in A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, which was published a few weeks before his death.