The Life of John Sterling, written by Thomas Carlyle and published in 1851, is a biographical memoir of the author's dear friend John Sterling (1806–1844), a gifted English writer and clergyman who died young. Dissatisfied with an earlier biography by Julius Hare, Carlyle set out to capture Sterling's true character—his intellectual brilliance, spiritual restlessness, and warm humanity. The book follows Sterling from his Cambridge days among the Apostles, through his flirtation with utilitarianism alongside John Stuart Mill, to his religious vocation and early death from tuberculosis. Celebrated for its eloquent prose and affectionate portrait, the work remains a moving meditation on friendship, faith, and genius.
