Voltaire

François-Marie Arouet, whom the world knows as Voltaire, traversed the long French eighteenth century with an energy that never faltered. Born in Paris in 1694 and left motherless at the age of seven, he died in that same city in 1778, having traveled across Europe and reshaped his time. Between these two Parisian dates, an entire era took shape: the Enlightenment, of which he became the most incandescent and combative figure.

His tumultuous youth already foreshadowed the man he would become. Sent to the Bastille twice, he learned early on the price of freedom and the danger of words. His stay in England, from 1726 to 1728, profoundly transformed his worldview. Upon his return, his Letters on the English conveyed this discovery of a different, more tolerant society, and brought him fresh troubles. He was forced to flee once more, first to Cirey to join Émilie du Châtelet, where love intertwined with study, and then to the Prussian court, where his friendship with Frederick the Great turned sour. Even when appointed historiographer royal in 1746—an official recognition of his talent—he remained a restless man on the move, never truly settling into his honors.

The body of work he left behind spans all genres with masterful ease. In the theater, Oedipus and Zaire took up the classical tradition while reshaping it. Epic poetry found a worthy successor in him with La Henriade. Yet it was in the philosophical tale that he forged his most personal style: Candide, or Optimism, Zadig, Micromegas, L'Ingénu, and The Princess of Babylon—tales in which irony becomes a precision weapon against foolishness and fanaticism. A rigorous historian, he revitalized the discipline with his History of Charles XII, The Age of Louis XIV, the Précis of the Age of Louis XV, and above all, the Essay on the Manners and Spirit of Nations, which encompasses universal history. Finally, the Philosophical Dictionary condenses his thought into biting articles that dismantle prejudices one by one.

The acquisition of the Ferney estate in 1759 marked a turning point. From this refuge near the Swiss border, the patriarch could finally wage his battles without fear of being sent to the Bastille. It was from here that he took a stand in the great judicial scandals shaking France: the Calas affair, the Sirven affair, the case of the Chevalier de La Barre, and that of the Count de Lally-Tollendal. Time and again, he denounced religious intolerance and fought against arbitrary justice. His pen then became more than a mere literary instrument: it became a tribunal of the public conscience.

This lifelong struggle found its posthumous consecration when the Revolution inducted him into the Pantheon in 1791. Yet beyond this official recognition, it is his very style that continues to speak to us: this unique blend of grace and anger, of laughter and indignation, this ability to transform every injustice into an opportunity for clearer thinking. In every tale, in every pamphlet, in every letter, we still hear the resonance of a voice that refuses to be silenced in the face of whatever degrades humanity. He taught us that wit is never more essential than when combating stupidity, and that laughter can be the highest form of courage.

Bibliography

• CandideExplored
• Philosophical Dictionary
• La Henriade
• Oedipus
• Zaïre
• Candide, or Optimism
• Zadig
• Micromégas
• L'Ingénu
• The Princess of Babylon
• History of Charles XII
• The Age of Louis XIV
• Précis of the Age of Louis XV
• Essay on the Manners and Spirit of Nations
• Philosophical Letters

In the library

• CandidePublished on Sunday, 2 August 2026