"Everything was
for the best..."
-- Candide, Pangloss

     François-Marie Arouet De Voltaire lived from 1694 to 1778 in the city of Paris, France.  Born to a treasury official, he attended a Jesuit school.  His first endeavor into law was quickly abandoned for a career in writing.  During the year of 1717, he spent a total of eleven months in the Bastille when he attempted to criticize the French aristocracy.  Unfortunately, his wealth had very little effect on his prolonged sentence.  The French released him from the Bastille, but he was summarily exiled to England for three years.  Later in Voltaire's life, he spent time living with Madame du Chatelet and Frederick the Great of Prussia.

     Although François-Marie Arouet was well-known for his literary work, The Candide, Voltaire also published other notable works that touched areas such as : tragedy, epics, history, philosophy and fiction.  A History of Charles XII of Sweden and Zadig (1748) were two works of literature that he wrote early in life.

     In 1759, Voltaire purchased Fernay, an estate near the border between France and Switzerland.  His decision to purchase Fernay was greatly influenced by its proximity to the border of France.  If he were to be pursued by French officials, he could quickly flee across the border. 

     "Candide," published in 1759, was considered the apex of François-Marie Arouet's work.   "The exuberance and extravagance of Voltaire's imagination force us to laugh at what we may feel embarrassed to laugh at:  the plight of the woman whose buttock has been cut off to make rump steak for her hungry companions, the weeping of two girls whose monkey-lovers have been killed..."  (Voltaire Intro, Norton Anthology, p. 316)  The book leveled the most bitter criticism against nobility, philosophy, religion, and cruelty.  It also has an unique quality of criticizing several enlightened philosophers.  

     When Voltaire was 83, he returned to the city of his birthplace, Paris.  Most of the population regarded him as a hero returning home.  However, his poor health and the difficult journey placed a great amount of strain.  Shortly after, Voltaire died in May of 1778.

  (Voltaire's Bedroom)

  (Voltaire at his Worktable)

  (Voltaire's Tomb next to the Château de Ferney)