British
novelist Henry Fielding died on October 8, 1754 in Lisbon, Portugal. He was a novelist and dramatist known for
his humor and satire, and was the author of the novel Tom Jones. Aside from his literary achievements, he has a significant
place in the history of law-enforcement, having founded (with his half-brother
John) what some have called London’s first police force, the Bow Street
Runners. He was born on April 22, 1707 in Glastonbury, Somerset in 1707. He was educated at Eton and the
University of Leiden before returning to England where he wrote a series of
farces, operas and light comedies.
Fielding
formed his own company and was running the Little Theatre, Haymarket, when one
of his satirical plays began to upset the government and with the passing of
the Theatrical Licensing Act in 1737 this effectively ended Fielding's career
as a playwright. In 1739 Fielding turned to journalism and became editor of The Champion. He also began writing
novels, including: The Adventures of Joseph Andrews (1742), Abraham Adams (1842)
and Jonathan Wild (1743).
In
1748, he was appointed justice of the peace for Westminster and Middlesex. He
campaigned against legal corruption and helped his half-brother, Sir John
Fielding, establish the Bow Street Runners. In 1749, he published the novel, The History of Tom Jones. He followed
this success with another well received novel, Amelia (1751). Throughout his life, Fielding suffered from poor
health and by 1752 he could not move without the help of crutches. In an
attempt to overcome his health problems, he traveled to Portugal. He died on
October 7, 1754 in Lisbon and was buried at the English Cemetery in Lisbon.
Michael
Thomas Barry is the author of Literary
Legends of the British Isles. The book can be purchased from Amazon through
the following links:
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