Jonathan Swift (30 thang 11 nam 1667 – 19 thang 10 nam 1745) – la nha tho, nha van trao phung Ai-len goc Anh, tac gia cua nhung tac pham noi tieng nhu: Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, Drapier's Letters, The Battle of the Books, An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, va A Tale of a Tub.


Tieu su Swift sinh o Dublin, trong mot gia đinh theo đao Tin lanh. Bo la mot cong chuc, mat khi Swift chua ra đoi. Cau be Jonathan đuoc chu day do va sau đo đuoc hoc o nhung truong tot nhat Ai-len thoi đo: đau tien la truong Kilkenny College, sau đo la Trinity College.
Noi chien bung no o Ai-len sau khi vua James II bi phe truat (1686), Swift sang Anh may nam. O đay Swift lam thu ky cho ngai William Temple. Cung trong thoi gian nay Swift yeu say đam co Esther Johnson – mot co gai mo coi đuoc Swift day hoc va co ve nhu hai nguoi đa bi mat cuoi nhau.
Nam 1690 Swift tro lai Ai-len mac du van thuong xuyen ve tham William Temple. Nam 1692 Swift nhan bang thac si o Đai hoc Oxford. Nam 1694 tro thanh linh muc Anh giao va phuc vu o nha tho Kilroot thuoc Giao hoi Ireland nhung chi đuoc mot thoi gian ngan ong đa quay tro ve voi ngai William Temple. Nhung nam 1696 – 1699 Swift sang tac nhung tac pham đau tien: Cuoc chien cua sach (The Battle of the Books) va Chuyen ve cai thung (A Tale of Tub). Nhung tac pham nay đuoc in nam 1704.
Nam 1699 William Temple mat, Swift đi tim nhung manh thuong quan o London nhung khong thanh cong. Nam 1700 Swift đuoc bo nhiem lam linh muc o nha tho Saint Patrick o Dublin. Co mot lan dan chung tu tap o quang truong truoc nha tho đe cho xem nhat thuc va đam đong nay rat on ao. Swift cam thay rat buc minh va lenh cho nguoi truyen đen đam đong dan chung rang linh muc đa quyet đinh huy nhat thuc. The la đam đong lang le giai tan ve nha.
Nhung nam 1720 – 1736 Swift sang tac nhung bai tho hay nhat va viet Gulliver du ky (Gulliver’s Travels), tro thanh tac pham kinh đien cua van hoc Anh va the gioi. Thoat nhin Gulliver du ky la mot cuoc phieu luu vui nhon, mot cuon sach cho tre em. Thuc ra đay la mot tac pham cham biem sau sac: Swift chi ra đieu nuc cuoi cua dan chung dua tren hoan canh chinh tri xa hoi nuoc Anh the ky 18. Đau tien Gulliver lac vao Lilliput, xu so cua nguoi lun. Nhung hiem khich chinh tri, nhung muu ke cung đinh, nhung ghen ty vat vanh đoi thuong cua cu dan Lilliput tro nen đac biet buon cuoi trong mot xa hoi thu nho nhu vay. Sau đay Gulliver đen Brobdingnag, xu so cua nhung ga khong lo. Khi Gulliver ca ngoi nuoc Anh thi ho cam thay buon cuoi nhu khi chinh Gulliver nuc cuoi thoi hu danh cua nguoi Lilliput vay. Tiep theo đay, Gulliver đen Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib… Nguoi dan o nhung xu so nay co chap va thong thai rom. Cuoi cung Gulliver đen xu ngua nguoi Houyhnhnms, vuong quoc cua nhung chu ngua thong minh, nhung thu vat mang hinh nguoi noi len su sa đoa cua con nguoi se la khong co gioi han neu đe cho duc vong thong tri ca ly tri. Nhung tu Lilliput, Yahoo… do Swift nghi ra đa đi vao rat nhieu ngon ngu cua the gioi nhu la nguyen ngu.
Jonathan Swift mat ngay 19 thang 10 nam 1745 o Dublin.


Tac pham Dissensions in Athens and Rome (1701)
The Tale of a Tub (1704)
The Battle of the Books (1704)
Bickerstaff Predictions for 1708 (1707)
The Sentiments of a Church of England Man (1708)
Arguments against Abolishing Christianity (1708)
Letter upon the Sacramental Test (1708)
Project for the Advancement of Learning (1709)
Ancient Prophecy (1709)
Sid Hamet’s Rod (1710)
Meditation upon a Broomstick (1710)
Short Character of the Earl of Wharton (1710)
The Conduct of the Allies (1711)
The Representation of the House of Commons on the State of the Nation (1711)
An Address of Thanks to the Queen (1711)
Proposal for Correcting, Improving, and Ascertaining the English Tongue (1712)
Reflections on the Barrier Treaty (1712)
Remarks on the Bishop of Sarum's Introduction to His Third Volume of the History of the Reformation (1712)
Journal to Stella (1710-13)
Free Thoughts on the State of Public Affairs
Cadenus and Vanessa (1713)
A Proposal for the Universal Use of Irish Manufactures, &c. (1720)
The Drapier’s Letters (1724)
Gulliver’s Travels (1726)
Miscellanies (1727)
A short view of the state of Ireland (Dublin, Harding, 1727/1728).
A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People from Being a Burthen (1729)
A Letter from the Grand Mistress of the Female Free-Masons to Mr. Harding, the Printer (1731?)
The Day of Judgment (1731)
Verses on the Death of Dr Swift (1731)
Rhapsody of Poetry (1735?)
The Legion Club (1736)


Mot so bai tho Chu thich Lien ket ngoai "Swift, Jonathan" . Encyclopædia Britannica (an ban thu 11). 1911.
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