Voltaire

Born François-Marie Arouet in Paris in 1694, Voltaire became one of the best-known writers of the 18th century. He wrote across many forms — plays, poems, histories, essays, letters, and philosophical tales — and built a reputation for speed, clarity, and biting humor.

His life was as dramatic as his books. He was imprisoned in the Bastille early in his career, later spent time in England, and became deeply associated with Enlightenment ideas about reason, religious tolerance, and civil liberties. He is especially remembered for criticizing fanaticism and injustice, and for defending freedom of thought and expression.

Voltaire died in 1778, but his influence lasted far beyond his lifetime. Readers still return to works like Candide for their energy and satire, and to his broader body of writing for its fearless challenge to cruelty, dogma, and complacency.