Voltaire (person)

1694-1778, French Philosopher, playwright and author

(Francois Marie Arouet) He was a leading figure of the Enlightenment. Twice unjustly imprisoned 1717-18, 1726 and then banished to England 1726-29. He wrote many tragedies, among them:

• Brutus - 1730
• Zaïre - 1732
• Edipo
• Poeme de la ligue
• English Letters
• Poeme de Fontenoy
• The Century of Luis XIV
• The disaster of Lisbon
• Tancredo

His great historical works-The Age of Louis XIV 1751 and the Essay on Manners 1756 -pioneered a new approach, emphasizing culture and commerce as much as politics and war.

Most widely read today is his masterpiece of satire, Candide 1759. How Candide Was Brought Up in a Magnificent Castle and How He Was Driven Thence

He was inducted into the french institution known as Neuf Soeurs.

Related Nodes:

• Brother Voltaire invokes Beelzebuth
• He weighs the eggs of flies in spiderwebs.
• Once a philosopher, twice a pervert
• O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous
• if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him
• Pour encourager les autres

Source: http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95nov/voltaire.html Last Updated 06.16.03