Samuel Johnson: A Biography by Peter Martin
Weidenfeld & Nicolson £25
SAMUEL JOHNSON is one of the greatest of Great Britons. Not only a towering literary figure but a great Englishman. A great provincial. A great human being. His wit, wisdom and humanity, one would like to hope, is part of our life blood. He is always worth reading and always worth reading about. However, in handling this considerable new tome, I wondered: do we really need yet another biography of Dr Johnson? Given the consistently readable new volume by Peter Martin, the answer is a resounding “yes”.
Johnson has always been there, a living presence in our national awareness. But his presence is constantly under revision and expansion. His greatest works – two poems in particular, London and The Vanity of Human Wishes; his moral essays; Preface to the Plays of William Shakespeare and the wit and wisdom to be found in his Dictionary of the English Language – enrich, entertain and inspire generations of readers. James Boswell’s immortal biography created Johnson the clubman, literary celebrity, fabulous conversationalist and loyal and generous friend as well as warm human being. Subsequent biographers have variously complemented or qualified Boswell’s portrayal.
Although Johnson, tormented by fears and doubts as he neared the end of his life, notoriously burned many of his personal documents, enough evidence has emerged to fill out further details about his personal psychology and mental torment. All this ultimately serves to render the great man even more human to us.
This new biography makes Johnson – I dare to say it – a surprisingly modern man rather than the great Augustan of yore. As Martin writes: “He had a sharp tongue when he detected humbug, flimflam, smugness and insincerity. Interlopers, pompous hypocrites, people in power, the chattering aristocracy and irresponsible newspapers were certain to provoke his indignation. He was empirical, downright willing to argue, brave and sometimes severely humorous. He could be every bit as funny as modern humourists… his laughter filling the room and echoing along the streets. His directness and impatience with what we today call political correctness would have made him a popular guest for talk shows.”
Politically, Johnson was more complex than the Old Tory he has so frequently been labelled. He was opposed to the Seven Years War; believed the Whig Robert Walpole was the greatest prime minister; supported the abolition of slavery; encouraged women writers; and his charity was legendary. Also, let us remember, he was opposed to going to war over the Falklands. And I love his love for his country: “What I gained by being in France was learning to be better satisfied with my own country.”
At his death William Gerard Hamilton said: “He has made a chasm, which not only nothing can fill up, but which nothing has a tendency to fill up. Johnson is dead. Let us go on to the next best. There is nobody; no man can be said to put you in mind of Johnson.”
Peter Martin’s new biography does in some considerable measure put you in mind of Johnson and that is a considerable public service.
Robert Giddings
About The Author
