Jonathan Swift author page

Jonathan Swift biography

Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, satirist and clergyman. He was born in Dublin and educated at Kilkenny Grammar School before attending Trinity College Dublin, where he received a BA in 1686. He later earned an MA from Oxford University in 1692.

Swift worked in England as secretary to Sir William Temple, during which time he began writing. His early works included A Tale of a Tub (1704) and The Battle of the Books (1704), which established his reputation for satire.

Ordained in the Church of Ireland, he held several clerical posts and was appointed Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, in 1713, a position he retained until his death.

His best-known work, Gulliver’s Travels, was published in 1726. The book, formally titled Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, presented a fictional voyage through fantastical lands and became a landmark of English literature. Other notable writings include the political pamphlet The Drapier’s Letters (1724–25) and the satirical essay A Modest Proposal (1729).

Swift’s later years were marked by illness, and he died in Dublin in 1745. He was buried in St Patrick’s Cathedral. His legacy is tied to his mastery of satire and his influence on subsequent writers.

He was appointed Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, in 1713.