The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman - Hardcoverby Laurence Sterne (Author) The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman is a novel written by Laurence Sterne. It was first published in nine volumes between 1759 and 1767. The novel is a fictional autobiography of the eponymous Tristram Shandy, a man who is born in the middle of a conversation and whose life is shaped by a series of absurd and comical events. The novel is notable for its unconventional structure, which is non linear and often