Voltaire

A Sketch of His Life and Works

Voltaire – A Sketch of His Life and Works is a compilation of some of Voltaire’s greatest themes, quotes and sketches.

Voltaire was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays and historical and scientific works. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and more than 2,000 books and pamphlets.

He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties despite the risk this placed him in under the strict censorship laws of the time.

As a satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma and the French institutions of his day.

Caustic and hilarious, his Candide has ranked as one of the world's great satires since its first publication in 1759. It concerns the adventures of the youthful Candide, disciple of Dr. Pangloss.

Candide was widely banned immediately after publication, because it contained religious blasphemy, political sedition and intellectual hostility hidden under a thin veil of naiveté.

Today, Candide is recognized as Voltaire's magnum opus and is often listed as part of the Western canon; it is arguably taught more than any other work of French literature.

VOLTAIRE (1694-1778) was a French philosopher, historian, and writer, famous for his wit, advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state. He was a prolific writer, producing plays, poems, novels, essays, historical and scientific works. As a satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma, and French institutions of his day.