Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer and satirist. He studied theology in Dublin and Oxford, worked as secretary to the politician Sir William Temple in England from 1689 to 1694, and later became an Anglican clergyman. From 1713, he served as dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. Swift wrote numerous pamphlets on political and religious subjects, initially often publishing anonymously or under a pseudonym. His best-known works include the satirical novel Gulliver’s Travels (1726) and the essay A Modest Proposal. He died in Dublin in 1745.