Britannica Sources used in this answer

Which writers and artists were among Edmund Burke’s friends?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Burke, Edmund — Edmund Burke Edmund Burke.

Edmund Burke maintained a vibrant social circle that included several prominent literary and artistic figures of his time. Beginning around 1757, he cultivated significant friendships with the following individuals:

Samuel Johnson: The renowned writer and lexicographer.
Oliver Goldsmith: The celebrated Anglo-Irish author and playwright.
Sir Joshua Reynolds: The influential portrait painter.
David Garrick: The famous actor and theatre manager.

These relationships were established during a period of his life that also saw the publication of his influential work on aesthetic theory, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful.1