Samuel JohnsonBorn on 18 September 1709 in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, Samuel Johnson was an English writer who made contributions to literature as a poet, satirist, critic, biographer and lexicographer. As Johnson's parents were hit by financial problems, his childhood was not without rivalry. Despite Johnson's misfortune, to prepare himself "for the role of the greatest man of letters of the century," Samuel Johnson sought his education by reading books in his father's shop (Cody 2). Blind in one eye, short-sighted in the other, deaf in one ear, Samuel Johnson contracted scrofula from his wet nurse. Additionally, Johnson had scarring on his face and neck from both the disease and the corrective surgery. He was also infected with smallpox. These traumatic illnesses foreshadowed the ongoing physical discomfort and poor health he faced throughout his life (Polito 2). However, illnesses did not hinder him as a writer. In Birmingham, Johnson met his wife Elizabeth Jervis Porter, who attempted to open a school outside Lichfield but failed, and also accompanied him to London. In 1738, Johnson wrote for Edward Cave's The Gentleman's Magazine and published his "London," an imitation of Juvenal's satire on the decadence of ancient Rome, for which he received ten guineas." Samuel Johnson was influenced to write these works due to extreme poverty while living in London (Cody 7). Richard Savage, who ended a miserable lifestyle in a Bristol prison, was Johnson's motivation for writing The Life of Richard Savage the unknown used Johnson's advice on literary and worldly problems, and this is how he became a public figure (Cody 8). After Johnson was inspired to write The Life of Richard Savage, which...... half of the paper .....iter. With the help of others, Johnson produced many works, including a dictionary. Unlike other writers who were fascinated by romance and wrote about the happiness of life realistic truths that humans deny about themselves. Samuel Johnson wrote about the truths of life. “The purpose of travel is to adjust the imagination to reality, and, instead of thinking about how things might be, to see them as they are” (Johnson 97). Work Cited Michael, Adams. “What Samuel Johnson Really Did.” Humanistic studies. October 2009: n. page. Print.James, Boswell. “Life of Johnson”. Electric classic series. 1791: n. page. Print.David, Cody. “The Victorian Web.” Samuel Johnson: A Brief Biography. Victorian Web, ndWeb. April 8, 2014.Robert, Polito. "Samuel Johnson." The Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. Network. April 8 2014.