François-Marie Arouet, known by his pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, satirist and historian, famous for his wit and his criticism of Christianity, especially the Catholic Church, and of slavery, and an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion and separation of church and state. A versatile and prolific writer, he produced works in almost every literary form, writing more than 20,000 letters and 2,000 books and pamphlets, and was one of the first authors to become renowned and commercially successful internationally despite constant risk from the French monarchy's censorship laws. His best-known work, Candide, is a novella satirizing the philosophical optimism of his time, most notably Gottfried Leibniz's belief that this is the best of all possible worlds.
Facts
AwardFellow of the Royal Society, 1743. 1 AwardPour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order. 1 Classification
Original Language Voltaire
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Why did Voltaire leave France for England in 1726?
He left after a quarrel with the Chevalier de Rohan led to a beating and a stay in the Bastille.
Voltaire left France after a quarrel with the Chevalier de Rohan, a member of one of the leading French families, who had made fun of his adopted name. Voltaire was beaten up and taken to the Bastille, then conducted to Calais on 5 May 1726, from where he set out for London. Britannica describes his destiny from then on as exile and opposition.
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Source Wikipedia: Voltairetier 2
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1. Wikipedia: Voltaire
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Lead section
21 November 1694 - 30 May 1778
Lead paragraph
François-Marie Arouet (French: [fʁɑ̃swa maʁi aʁwɛ]; 21 November 1694 - 30 May 1778), known by his pen name Voltaire (, US also ; French: [vɔltɛːʁ]), was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher (philosophe), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit and his criticism of Christianity (especially of the Catholic Church) and of slavery, Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of...
Award: Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order
François-Marie Arouet (French: [fʁɑ̃swa maʁi aʁwɛ]; 21 November 1694-30 May 1778), known by his pen name Voltaire (, US also ; French: [vɔltɛːʁ]), was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher (philosophe), satirist, and historian.
Award: Fellow of the Royal Society
François-Marie Arouet (French: [fʁɑ̃swa maʁi aʁwɛ]; 21 November 1694-30 May 1778), known by his pen name Voltaire (, US also ; French: [vɔltɛːʁ]), was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher (philosophe), satirist, and historian.
View the Source Candide (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationWorks Attributed: Candide, Lead section, authorshipQuote, Works Attributed: Candide, Lead section, authorship
Candide, ou l'Optimisme...is a French satire written by Voltaire.
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