Blaise Pascal (1623-62) left his mark on mathematics, physics, religious controversy and literature. A convert to Jansenism, he engaged in passionate debate with the Jesuits the results of which are the Lettres Provincales, on which, with Pensees, his fame now rests. He is regarded by many as the greatest of French prose stylists.
A J Krailsheimer was Tutor in French at Christ Church, Oxford and translated widely from the French.