Voltaire

Born François-Marie Arouet in Paris in 1694, Voltaire became one of the best-known writers of the French Enlightenment. He wrote plays, poems, histories, essays, and letters, and he became famous for his quick wit, his criticism of fanaticism, and his defense of civil liberties.

His life was dramatic as well as literary. He spent time in the Bastille, lived in exile in England, and later settled at Ferney near the French-Swiss border, where he became a major European public figure. Across his work, he argued for reason, religious tolerance, and justice, often using humor and satire to make dangerous ideas harder to ignore.

Today Voltaire is especially remembered for works such as Candide and for the huge influence he had on Enlightenment thought. Even when readers disagree with him, his energy, clarity, and refusal to accept easy answers continue to make him compelling.