Playwright, poet, letter writer, lover, a founder of the enlightnment and a business man. Voltaire lived a full life and what a life it was. Reading about it was fun.

I found this book to be very informative and interesting. More full excerpts from his works would have been appreciated but at 460 pages of text not including notes and the bibliography I guess it was long enough.

Voltaire constantly had to be afraid for his life and property because of what he wrote and where he lived. He was sentenced to the Bastille while young and then had to live in exile for man years. He lived in England and was impressed by the freedoms people enjoyed there, although he hated Shakespeare and described his plays as vulgar.

He wrote and wrote and wrote, some plays were popular, some flopped but he was able to become extremely wealthy and he certainly enjoyed his wealth. He had his mistresses. He shared 18 years of his life with Emile. She translated Isaac Newtons Principia into French and her book was used into the 1800’s. Her husband was not bothered at all by the liaison. Although they were practically separated when she died shortly after giving birth to another mans child Voltaire was devastated by the death.

He next mistress was his niece. Voltaire was constantly under pressure by the aristocrats and the Church. He spent years as an official in the Prussian court with King Frederick. Voltaire was an intellectual celebrity. He wrote over 20,000 letters in his lifetime and really was an important part of those who began the enlightenment of Europe.

He had an adopted daughter who he adored.

Eventually setup shop in Ferney. He slowly upgraded the chateaus and it eventually became a prosperous town. At 65 he was researching Russian history for his next book, writing and acting in plays, writing the Dictionary of Philosophy which was to have a huge effect on the world.

He was very happy at Ferny saying, “I am quite amazed to find that I have been happy here for the past five years. I have made a little sovereign state for myself … I have done everything I have wanted. It is good that there should be people like me in this world. But to play this role one must be old, rich, free, bold and in good standing at court, but without ever going there.”

While in Ferney he was campaigning against the ‘infâme” (abuses by royalty and clergy around him). He took up cases and publicized and fought for the rights of the common man. Some really sad stories about abuses of power and torture and wrongly killed people. One thing he said was “What horror is this a secret judgment, a condemnation without explanations! Is there a more execrable tyranny that that of spilling blood on a whim, without giving the least reason.” He fought against that and he wound up making a difference.

At the age of 76 he got into the watch making business and setup shop for artisans who had been forced out of Geneva due to their religion.

He died in 1778 in Paris.

He lived, loved and didn’t just pass through life. He left his mark on the world.