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Michel de Montaigne was born in Chateau de Montaigne, near Bordeaux, France, on February 28, 1533. He received his early education at the College de Guyenne in Bordeaux and studied law at Bordeaux and Toulouse, becoming a counselor of the Court des Aides of Perigueaux, the Bordeaux Parliament and, in 1561, at the court of Charles IX. In 1565, Montaigne married Francoise de la Chassaigne. They raised one daughter, with four other children dying in infancy. He lived the life as a country gentleman and traveled extensively through Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. Montaigne was a moderate Roman Catholic and an advocate of toleration, acting as an intermediary between Henry of Navarre and the court party. As a result, in 1588, he was arrested by members of the Protestant League and thrown into the Bastille for several hours. His work Essais established the essay as a new literary form and influenced both French and English writers; it was quoted by William Shakespeare and imitated by Francis Bacon. Michel de Montaigne died on September 13, 1592 at his chateau in France. (Bowker Author Biography) — biography from The Complete Essays… (more)
The Complete Essays 4,524 copies, 47 reviews
The Essays: A Selection 1,182 copies, 10 reviews
Essays 1,013 copies, 9 reviews
The Complete Works 884 copies, 4 reviews
On Friendship 547 copies, 9 reviews
Essays, Part 1/3 506 copies, 6 reviews
Essays, Part 2/3 330 copies, 3 reviews
Essays, Part 3/3 325 copies, 3 reviews
Four Essays 252 copies, 1 review
Montaigne's Travel Journal 192 copies, 1 review
On Solitude 149 copies, 4 reviews
Oeuvres complètes 56 copies, 1 review
Les Essais 49 copies
Essais 30 copies, 1 review
Essais 20 copies
De la vanité 20 copies
De l'expérience 16 copies, 1 review
Esseitä 11 copies
I cannibali 11 copies
Tutkielmia : valikoima 11 copies, 2 reviews
Montaigne 7 copies
Ensayos II 6 copies
A Book of Good Faith 6 copies, 1 review
Saggi scelti 6 copies
dai Saggi 5 copies
Esseitä 5 copies
Essayer 5 copies
De los libros 5 copies
Esseitä 4 copies
Pensamientos 4 copies
Select Essays 4 copies
Over boeken 4 copies
De la vanité 3 copies
Próby 3 copies
Esseitä 2 copies
Les Essais 2 copies
Опыты 2 copies
Gedachten 2 copies
Vriendschap is liefde 2 copies, 1 review
ENSAIOS 2 copies
Saggi VOL I 2 copies
Lettres 2 copies
Om böcker 2 copies
Esseitä 1 copy
Breviario 1 copy
Essais I 1 copy
Essays 1 copy
Four Plays 1 copy
Die Essais 1 copy
Saggi, 1 1 copy
Saggi, 2 1 copy
Esseitä 1 copy
Essais, I 1 copy
Esseitä ; Montaigne 1 copy, 1 review
Essayet 1 copy
ESSAIS T2 1 copy
Esseitä 1 copy
Esseitä 1 copy
Om böcker 1 copy

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Short biography
Montaigne was one of the great humanists of the French Renaissance era and one of its most influential writers. He's best known for his essays, which not only made this literary genre more popular but also more interesting to the reader.

Montaigne grew up speaking Latin and reading Vergil, Ovid, and Horace on his own. At age 6, he was sent to boarding school, the Collège de Guyenne in Bordeaux. He may have studied law, but the school is unknown; his father purchased a law office for him in the Court of Périgueux. He met Etienne de La Boétie, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. Montaigne retired at age 37 to his father's castle to write. He later received numerous honors from the court of King Charles IX, including the Order of Saint-Michel, and was named a Gentleman of the Ordinary Chamber. He was elected mayor of Bordeaux and served two terms in office.
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Legacy Library: Michel de Montaigne

Michel de Montaigne has a Legacy Library. Legacy libraries are the personal libraries of famous readers, entered by LibraryThing members from the Legacy Libraries group.

» Michel de Montaigne's legacy profile.

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» Michel de Montaigne's catalog.

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