Contents
Voltaire
Using satire and argument to challenge intolerance, injustice and religious authority.
Candide · The Enlightenment
- Born
- 21 November 1694
- Birthplace
- Paris, France
- Died
- 30 May 1778
More people
Voltaire
Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer whose work ranged from plays and histories to philosophical fiction. His public campaigns made him a prominent critic of religious persecution and abuses of judicial power.
Early life
Paris education
Born François-Marie Arouet, he attended the Jesuit school Louis-le-Grand.
Choosing literature
He moved towards writing rather than the legal career his father favoured.
Career
- 1717–1718
Prison and a pen name
Imprisonment in the Bastille preceded theatrical success and his adoption of the name Voltaire.
- 1726–1729
England
Exile brought close exposure to English political and intellectual life.
- 1730s–1750s
Writer across Europe
He wrote history, science and drama, including years with Émilie du Châtelet and at Frederick II’s court.
- 1758 onward
Ferney
From his estate near Geneva he wrote extensively and campaigned against injustice.
Selected work
Letters on England
He used English institutions and ideas to challenge French assumptions.
Candide
A fast-moving satire subjects easy optimism to repeated catastrophe.
Treatise on Tolerance
The Jean Calas case prompted his argument against religious persecution.
Beyond work
Intellectual partnership
Émilie du Châtelet was both his partner and an important scientific collaborator.
A contested legacy
His advocacy of tolerance coexists with prejudiced writing, including hostile generalisations about Jews.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Nicolas de Largillière. CC0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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