Michel de Montaigne

Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne, known simply as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant writers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the essay as a literary genre. His work merges casual anecdote and autobiography with learned reflection, and by examining himself with candour he created a model of personal writing that later essayists have followed. He had a direct influence on numerous writers of Western literature, and his Essais contain some of the most influential essays ever written. In his lifetime he was admired more as a statesman than as an author, and his tendency to digress into anecdotes and personal reflection was seen as a flaw of style rather than an innovation.