Richard Steele

Sir Richard Steele (* March 1672 in Dublin, † September 1, 1729 in Carmarthen ) was an Irish novelist and comedy writer. He was editor of the London Gazette and founder of the magazine The Tatler and The Spectator. For The Tatler, he also wrote under the pseudonym Isaac Bickerstaff, which had previously been used Jonathan Swift in a campaign against the cobbler and astrologer John Partridge.

Life

Steele attended the Charterhouse School, where he made ​​the acquaintance of Joseph Addison. He completed his further education in Oxford at Merton College. He then joined the British Army, where he served as a cavalry officer in the Life Guards. His distaste for military life led to his first work, The Christian Hero ( 1701), in which he grappled with different male roles in society.

He had as a playwright with comedies like The Tender Husband of 1703. 1706 he was awarded the position of editor of the London Gazette at the court of Queen Anne and her husband George of Denmark First literary successes. On September 9, 1707 married Richard Steele Mary Scurlock, whom he had met at the funeral of his first wife. Because of their correspondence of over 400 letters that he wrote during the time of their first meeting until her death in 1718, both are regarded as one of the most famous literary couples.

1709 Steele founded the magazine The Tatler ( the talker ), which quickly became a popular success but had to be discontinued after two years. In this project, Addison was a regular employee, Swift also made ​​some contributions. After the end of Tatler founded Steele and Addison The Spectator. Steele drew, among other things also the fantastic but true story of Alexander Selkirk, the Daniel Defoe novel Robinson encouraged to Crusoe later. 1713 Steele was, who belonged to the Whig party, member of the House from which he was soon ruled out, because he had published a pamphlet in which he advocated the succession of the House of Hanover. The following year, the Hanoverian George I ascended the throne, Steele was knighted and appointed head of the Drury Lane Theatre in London. After a quarrel with Addison and quarrels with the government, he retired to Wales, where he spent the rest of his life.