Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne, (1713-68). Anglo-Irish novelist and writer. Sterne was brought up in some poverty in County Tipperary. After studying at Cambridge, he was ordained an Anglican priest and appointed to a living in Yorkshire (1738). His wife suffered a mental breakdown and was committed to an asylum in 1758. The following year saw publication of the first two volumes of his masterpiece, Tristram Shandy, an eccentric novel that combines comedy and sentiment. De-spite its oddity. the book became highly popular; further volumes appeared between 1761 and 1767. During the 1760s Sterne travelled for his health in France and Italy, an experience that inspired his A Sentimental Journey (1768). He died of pleurisy soon after returning to Britain. His other works include volumes of sermons and letters.
