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.

Promotional Information

We think of Voltaire as the epitome of the Enlightenment; in his own time he was also the most famous and controversial figure in Europe. This dazzling new biography celebrates his extraordinary life through the thousands of his letters to have survived.

About the Author

Ian Davidson worked for the Financial Times for many years (among other things as Paris correspondent and as chief foreign affairs columnist). His previous biography was Voltaire in Exile (2004)

Reviews

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
*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
*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
*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
*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*

A new biography of Voltaire "the man"Åis long overdue, and Davidson (Voltaire in Exile) has done an admirable job in writing it.ÅVoltaire, ne Marie-FranAois Arouet (1694-1778), the personification of the Enlightenment, is presented as a multifaceted and often contradictory individual whose devotion to tolerance and pluralism was frequently offset by his cowardice and self-concern. A child of privilege, he cemented his well-to-do status through involvement in a shady lottery scheme and celebrated life with a succession of mistresses before settling on his married niece as his mistress of choice. Voltaire's ability as a playwright and writerÅis examinedÅas is his commitment to the rationalist Encyclopedie. His commitmentÅto human rights did not truly develop, according to Davidson, until he reached middle age, with his involvement in the Calas and de La Barre cases, miscarriages of justice thatÅmarked a turning point in French judicial history. Regrettably, the description of the first part of Voltaire's life is a bit tedious, and overall this biography would have benefited from more information on French society as a whole during the 18th century. But Voltaire emerges from the story as a champion of civil liberties whose flaws wereÅdecidedly human.Å16 pages of illus.; maps. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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 *