Irish-born Laurence Sterne graduated from Cambridge in 1737 and took holy orders, becoming a prebend in York Cathedral. His masterpiece, "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy" made him a celebrity but ill-health necessitated recuperative travel and A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY grew out of a seven-month trip through France and Italy. He died the year it was published, 1768. Paul Goring teaches English at Trondheim University in Norway and has completed a doctorate on Sterne's novels.
