Oliver Goldsmith, Irish novelist, playwright and poet (born 1728)

Oliver Goldsmith was an Anglo-Irish poet, novelist, playwright, and hack writer. He produced literary works in a variety of genres, and is regarded among the most versatile writers of the Georgian era. His works are known for their realistic depiction of society, and his comedy plays for the English stage are considered second in importance only to those of William Shakespeare. Several of Goldsmith's works are also regarded by critics as popular classics of the period, including his sole novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) and the play She Stoops to Conquer (1771).