Samuel Pepys, famous for keeping a detailed diary in the midst of an eventful period of English history, was also a competent administrator who rose to become chief secretary of the Admiralty and brought a new professionalism to the running of the Royal Navy. Nonetheless, it is the diary for which he is best known, and with good reason. It gives a fascinating account of London life in the 17th century - from the triumphant (for Pepys) restoration of Charles II in 1660 to the great disasters of the 1665 plague (which killed perhaps half of London’s population) and then the Great Fire of 1666. Pepys (pronounced peeps) began his diary on 1 January 1660 and added entries until 1669, when he stopped writing because he feared that writing in dim light was making him go blind.
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Citation: Forsyth, Neil. "Samuel Pepys". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 December 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3531, accessed 24 November 2024.]
