Voltaire

Voltaire, born François-Marie Arouet, was a French writer and philosopher. He was born in Paris in 1694 and died there in 1778. A major figure of the Enlightenment, he used literary and philosophical works to advocate reason and tolerance and to criticize religious fanaticism and absolutist rule. His wide-ranging output included poetry, plays, fiction, historical writings, and philosophy. His best-known works include »Candide«, »Zadig«, the »Philosophical Letters«, and the »Philosophical Dictionary«. A satire led to his imprisonment in the Bastille in 1717; he later spent several years in exile in England. He was elected to the Académie française in 1746. In France, the eighteenth century is often referred to as »le siècle de Voltaire« (the century of Voltaire).