Notice bio-bibliographique sur La Boëtie, suivie de La Servitude volontaire

This compact work offers a vivid portrait of Étienne de La Boëtie, the often‑overlooked companion of Montaigne whose ideas helped shape the political debates of the sixteenth century. Drawing on fresh archival material and a previously unknown manuscript, the author reconstructs La Boëtie’s modest life, his family ties, and the intellectual circle that surrounded him, while clarifying the gaps and errors that have long haunted his biography.

The volume also presents the first reliable edition of La Boëtie’s celebrated essay La Servitude volontaire, restoring the text to its authentic form and revealing the force of his argument against the complacency of the governed. Readers will find a thoughtful blend of scholarly rigor and readable narrative, making a pivotal but under‑studied thinker accessible to modern ears.