Voltaire by Ian Davidson
Davidson tells the whole, rich story of Voltaire's life (1694-1778): his early imprisonment in the Bastille; exile in England and his mastery of English; an obsession with money, of which he made a huge amount; a scandalous love life; his infatuation with Frederick the Great; a long exile on the borders of Switzerland; his passion for watch-making; his human rights campaigns and his triumphant return to Paris to die there as celebrity extraordinaire. Throughout all of this Voltaire's life was always informed by two things: a belief in the essential value of toleration in the face of fanaticism; and in the right of every man to think and say what he liked. It is rare to have such a vivid portrait of a great man.
Expands greatly on the image of Voltaire the philosophe.. The picture that emerges is on of Voltaire as a human being, with his own letters providing a fascinating reservoir or information and anecdote... It is the depiction of Voltaire's complex character that makes this biography such a compelling read... opens up many areas of Voltaire's life and debunks some of its mythologies... giving us an insightful and entertaining picture of the man. It's remarkable, too, how easily Voltaire's philosophy of tolerance and justice relates to society today, and Davidson's book is impressive on both counts -- Fionnuala Sinclair * Guardian *
Written in the crisp, incisive prose of a practised journalist... research is impressive too. He read all those letters before he began and quotes from them extensively in this refreshing book which isn't afraid, occasionally, to draw its own conclusions against the grain of what has been written before * Independent on Sunday *
One of the many great merits of this book is that it firmly puts the emphasis on Voltaire as a man... There is no shortage of biographies of Voltaire... But this is one of the best of them... full of the revealing detail that French biographers tend to regard as vulgar gossip... Davidson's book is written with the same lucid intelligence that he so evidently admires in his hero: most importantly, it is entirely convincing in its portrait of an honest intellectual at war with the iniquities of his era -- Andrew Hussey * Financial Times *
Ian Davidson has done him full justice in this rich biography. He hides nothing of his hero's frailties and faults, but his greatness shines all the more brightly -- Allan Massie * Literary Review *
Davidson is a fastidious debunker of myths and restorer of balance. He tells his story from beginning to end, one year after the next, with an elegant lucidity, and you learn all you need to know about Voltaire's finances, his domestic arrangements and his social life in readable and intelligent form -- Sam Leith * Spectator *
Written in crisp, incisive prose... his research is impressive * Belfast Telegraph *
Painstaking and reliable... Davidson should be applauded for this warts-and-all portrait... does him full justice * Sunday Herald *
Written in the crisp, incisive prose of a practised journalist... research is impressive too. He read all those letters before he began and quotes from them extensively in this refreshing book which isn't afraid, occasionally, to draw its own conclusions against the grain of what has been written before * Independent on Sunday *
One of the many great merits of this book is that it firmly puts the emphasis on Voltaire as a man... There is no shortage of biographies of Voltaire... But this is one of the best of them... full of the revealing detail that French biographers tend to regard as vulgar gossip... Davidson's book is written with the same lucid intelligence that he so evidently admires in his hero: most importantly, it is entirely convincing in its portrait of an honest intellectual at war with the iniquities of his era -- Andrew Hussey * Financial Times *
Ian Davidson has done him full justice in this rich biography. He hides nothing of his hero's frailties and faults, but his greatness shines all the more brightly -- Allan Massie * Literary Review *
Davidson is a fastidious debunker of myths and restorer of balance. He tells his story from beginning to end, one year after the next, with an elegant lucidity, and you learn all you need to know about Voltaire's finances, his domestic arrangements and his social life in readable and intelligent form -- Sam Leith * Spectator *
Written in crisp, incisive prose... his research is impressive * Belfast Telegraph *
Painstaking and reliable... Davidson should be applauded for this warts-and-all portrait... does him full justice * Sunday Herald *
Ian Davidson worked for the Financial Times for many years (among other things as Paris correspondent and as chief foreign affairs columnist). His earlier Voltaire in Exile (2004), was called 'powerful and illuminating ... revealing and disturbing' by the Sunday Times.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781846682261 |
| ISBN 10 | 1846682266 |
| Title | Voltaire |
| Author | Ian Davidson |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Publisher | Profile Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2010-04-15 |
| Number of pages | 560 |
| Prizes | Winner of Franco-British Society Book Prize 2011 (UK) |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |