author
Thomas Holcroft
1745–1809
Raised in poverty and largely self-educated, this energetic English writer fought his way from unstable early jobs into the literary world and became known for lively plays, novels, and political conviction.
2 Audiobooks
Anna St. Ives
by Thomas Holcroft
The Adventures of Hugh Trevor
by Thomas Holcroft
About the author
Born in London on December 10, 1745, Thomas Holcroft grew up in difficult circumstances and worked a string of jobs before making his way into the theater. He acted, wrote for the stage, and eventually built a reputation as a dramatist, novelist, translator, and journalist.
He is best remembered for the play The Road to Ruin (1792), one of the works most closely linked with his name, and for the frank, restless energy of his writing career. Holcroft was also involved in the radical politics of the 1790s and is noted for helping Thomas Paine publish the first part of Rights of Man.
Holcroft died on March 23, 1809. His life is often remembered as much for its determination and independence as for his books and plays: he rose from hardship to become a visible figure in late 18th-century English literary and political life.