George Farquhar

Born in Londonderry, Ireland, around 1677 or 1678, George Farquhar became one of the standout comic playwrights of the late Restoration stage. He studied at Trinity College Dublin and later moved into the theater world in London, where his quick ear for dialogue and eye for social absurdity made him a success.

His best-known plays include The Recruiting Officer (1706) and The Beaux' Stratagem (1707), works that stayed popular long after his death. Readers and audiences have often been drawn to the energy of his writing: the plots move briskly, the characters feel vivid, and even the satire tends to leave room for sympathy.

Farquhar died in 1707 while still young, but his influence lasted. He is often seen as an important bridge between the sparkling edge of Restoration comedy and the more generous, character-driven comedy that followed in the eighteenth century.