Who Wrote “Gulliver’s Travels”
“Gulliver’s Travels,” original title “Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships” is a popular fictional novel designed to be a parody of the travelers tales genre and satire on human nature. The book follows the adventures of Lemuel Gulliver as he travels through a fantasy world. It was first published in 1726 and has remained a popular novel ever since. The book has never been out of print and has been adapted many times for film, television and radio. Let’s find out who wrote this famous novel.
Who wrote “Gulliver’s Travels”?
The book was written by Irish writer and minister Jonathan Swift. It is thought that began writing the book in the 1710’s or 1720’s and he was influenced by his experiences and the political situation at the time. He completed the work in 1725 and, due to the political nature of the book, it is thought that he had the work copied so that it could not be traced back to him via his handwriting. He traveled to London in 1726 to have the work published anonymously and it was secretly delivered to publisher Benjamin Motte. The publisher realized it would be a hit, but was also worried about the political nature so altered or cut some of the story. Five printing houses were used to speed up production and it was first released on October 26, 1726. It was an instant hit and sold out in less than a week. It was soon translated into other languages and is still recognized as one of the most important books of the 18th century. Swift died in 1745 and, despite being a prolific writer, “Gulliver’s Travels” remains his best known work.
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