Candide (AmazonClassics Edition) - Softcover

Writer, historian, and philosopher François-Marie Arouet (1694–1778), better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire, was born in Paris, the youngest of five children. Voltaire practiced nearly every literary form—from plays, poetry, and novels to historical, philosophical, and scientific works.

An outspoken critic of both the Catholic Church and the French government, Voltaire had many brushes with authority in his life—a charge of writing libelous poetry landed him in the Bastille in 1717. He was a fierce advocate for the freedoms of speech and religion, and a believer in the separation of church and state. Though his dissident views often resulted in his exile from France, by 1778, Voltaire was lauded for his embodiment of the Enlightenment period’s ideals and considered one of its greatest writers.