Essayist. Initially wanted to be a philosopher, then tried painting and then journalism, where he was a success: as a drama reviewer, art critic, political commentator and creating sports writing as we know it.
Born in Maidstone, Kent. Along with many men of his time (Lamb, Coleridge, Shelley, Keats) he frequented the many brothels in London but unusually he spoke openly about his sexual appetites. He was a radical thinker and a libertarian, upsetting everyone by supporting Napoleon. Died in poverty, with two broken marriages and his reputation in tatters, but a happy man.
