Voltaire
French Enlightenment satirist whose novella Candide mocked the notion of the "best of all possible worlds" Show bio
Bio
Voltaire chose writing over the law career his father wanted for him. He pretended to assist a notary in Paris while spending his days on poetry.
Voltaire spent eleven months in the Bastille prison for a verse mocking France's regent. He kept aiming his satire at intolerance, religious dogma, and French institutions. Voltaire poured that scorn into Candide, a short tale ridiculing the thinkers of his day.
He lived at constant risk from the strict censorship of France's Catholic monarchy. Voltaire turned the career his father opposed into fame and fortune far beyond France.
Books by Voltaire
- CandideCandide
A short, comic novel follows a young man thrown out of a castle into war, shipwreck, and disaster. His teacher Pangloss insists, even after an earthquake, that this is the best of all possible worlds.
- Letters on EnglandLetters on England
These letters describe English religion, science, and public life through the eyes of a French visitor. A visit to the London stock exchange shows people of different faiths trading together.