Voltaire

by André Maurois

Biographie de Voltaire. Pourquoi, parmi tous les philosophes du XVIIIe siècle, cet homme si peu philosophe est-il apparu comme le plus illustre ? C'est peut-être parce que, de ce siècle bourgeois et gentilhomme, universel et frivole, scientifique et mondain, européen et surtout français, Voltaire, qui à lui seul a été tout cela, donne l'image la plus complète. Ajoutez qu'il était extrêmement français au sens où l'entendent les étrangers. Le reste de la planète a toujours aimé en France les écrivains qui, comme lui, expriment avec clarté, esprit et politesse, des idées simples. Ce particulier mélange n'est pas toute la France mais il est une partie de la France et, dans les meilleurs des Français, il y a toujours un peu de lui. Ce fut grâce à Voltaire que le français, au XVIIIe siècle, fut, plus que jamais, la langue de l'Europe et la gloire du langage, réfléchie par les miroirs des cours européennes, entoura d'un éclat surprenant le vieillard de Ferney. Enfin et surtout il a été merveilleusement vivant et les hommes, qui craignent l'ennui plus encore que l'inquiétude, sont reconnaissants à ceux qui les font vivre sur un rythme plus rapide et plus fort. Dans le déluge de brochures, d'épîtres, de romans, de poèmes et de lettres qui, de Cirey, de Berlin, de Ferney, s'est abattu sur la France pendant si longtemps, il y avait du trivial et de l'excellent. Mais tout était rapide, allègre, et, aux petits violons de M. de Voltaire, les Français sentaient leur esprit s'animer. On peut préférer des musiques plus graves, mais celle-là devait avoir bien du charme, puisque la France n'est toujours pas lasse de ce que l'on a si bien appelé le prestissimo de Voltaire.

Genres: Biography

128 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

André Maurois, born Emile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog, was a French author. André Maurois was a pseudonym that became his legal name in 1947.

During World War I he joined the French army and served as an interpreter and later a liaison officer to the British army. His first novel, Les silences du colonel Bramble, was a witty but socially realistic account of that experience. It was an immediate success in France. It was translated and also became popular in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries as The Silence of Colonel Bramble. Many of his other works have also been translated into English (mainly by Hamish Miles (1894–1937)), as they often dealt with British people or topics, such as his biographies of Disraeli, Byron, and Shelley.

During 1938 Maurois was elected to the prestigious Académie française. Maurois was encouraged and assisted in seeking this post by Marshal Philippe Pétain, and he made a point of acknowleging with thanks his debt to Pétain in his 1941 autobiography, Call no man happy - though by the time of writing, their paths had sharply diverged, Pétain having become Head of State of the Nazi-collaborationist Vichy France.

During World War II he served in the French army and the Free French Forces.

He died during 1967 after a long career as an author of novels, biographies, histories, children's books and science fiction stories. He is buried in the Neuilly-sur-Seine community cemetery near Paris.

Reviews

[Murat Başaran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seride Vahdet Gültekin'in elinin değmediği kendini belli eden, bölümler halinde sunulan bir biyografi. Hatırlamamakla birlikte, elimde halen mevcut olduğu için yakın zamanda yeniden göz atmak ve eklemeler yapmak istiyorum.

[Edkallenn Lima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bom, por ter as palavras do mestre Voltaire e isso sempre é algo extremamente valioso.
Mas, a ordem das coisas não parece boa.
O mestre merecia algo melhor.

[Daniel Costa Mesaros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biografía divulgativa entretenida de leer, pero faltan bastantes datos y hay ciertas etapas que se cuentan demasiado superficialmente.

[Lyazzat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope I'm reviewing the correct book. though got the first published version of book 1932.
Absolutely amazingly described Voltaire's biography and his publications, thoughts even it's onle extracts from other big works.
Most memorable thought from the book : "Life is a child that must be rocked till it falls asleep".

another description from the book:

Voltaire stands for its satiric and destructive facet, Rousseau for the popular and sentimental facet.

And the last fact which I would never ever realized was Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire.

"The meeting of Franklin and Voltaire, democracy shacking hands with theism, was the Revolution's dawning. Wherever the two men appeared together, "whether at the play or in public places or at the Academies, applause was continuous . Voltaire sneezed. "God bless you, sir!£ said Franklin - and the business began again."

[İlşad Özkan]

Küçük olması kadar akıcı bir dili olduğu için de çabucak okunan bir kitap. Voltaire'i seven herkese öneririm. Bendeki Rado baskısı fena değildi. Öyle çok detaylı ya da anlatımı çok kuvvetli değil ancak başlığının hakkını yeterince veriyor ve okuru tutmaya yetiyor. Piyasada bir de Kastaş baskısı varmış ancak ben onu görmesem de, yayıncılık tecrübemden ötürü şu an burada açıklamaya gerek görmeden bildiğim çeşitli sebeplerden ötürü, sahaftan Rado baskısından okumanızı öneririm.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short biography (150 pages) of the life of Voltaire, although because of its length skims over significant aspects of Voltaire's life.