Prospero | Remembering Laurence Sterne

Early irreverence

His "Tristram Shandy" still evokes laughter nearly 300 years on

By J.W.

LAURENCE STERNE was born 300 years ago in County Tipperary. Raised in Yorkshire, he studied at Jesus College, Cambridge, and entered the Church. This gave him a living back in his home county until, in the 1760s, the popularity of a book he began writing aged 46 made him rich and famous.

More from Prospero

An American musical about mental health takes off in China

The protagonist of “Next to Normal” has bipolar disorder. The show is encouraging audiences to open up about their own well-being

Sue Williamson’s art of resistance

Aesthetics and politics are powerfully entwined in the 50-year career of the South African artist


What happened to the “Salvator Mundi”?

The recently rediscovered painting made headlines in 2017 when it fetched $450m at auction. Then it vanished again