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Publisher Description
Michel de Montaigne, one of the foremost writers of the French Renaissance and the originator of the genre of the essay, wrote on subjects ranging from friendship to imagination, from language to conscience. This collection includes twenty-two of Montaigne's essays, including "Of Prognostications," "Of the Custom of Wearing Clothes," "Of Pedantry," and "Of Friendship." Throughout Montaigne's writing, he approaches his subject matter with rationality and skepticism, constantly searching for truth and inquiring into the nature of the human character. Montaigne's essays have been widely read since their first publication by such great writers as Shakespeare and Ralph Waldo Emerson and continue to resonate for modern audiences. This edition is the translation by Charles Cotton.
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"Montaigne is one of the truly great thinkers our world has seen. He definitely understood things far beyond his time. I was particularly interested in his ideas about education. Fascinating. I will need to revisit his writings again in the future."
— Juliet (4 out of 5 stars)
Select Essays Listener Reviews
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" Human nature never changes- a book written 400 or so years ago had so much relevance, so many similar observations to those of modern life that I would have believed if I'd been told in ignorance that some of the essays were written a year ago. "
— Simba, 2/8/2014 -
" so easy to read again and again. if you let him, montaigne will be your buddy for life. this is the great-great-great grandfather of the best blog on life you've read. "
— Jeff, 2/1/2014 -
" This is still one of the most read and most loved books in France. He is such a person of common sense. "
— Geoff, 1/24/2014 -
" Read Montaigne - a wise, open-minded, thoughtful, compassionate companion. "
— Richard, 1/21/2014 -
" sounds like a profound heavy book, but it's really an easy read. "
— Paul, 1/17/2014 -
" Read To the Reader; I, 31 (Of Cannibals); II, 11 (Of Cruelty); III, 2 (Of Repentance); III, 13 (Of Experience). Lots more to read when I have time! "
— Michael, 1/13/2014 -
" I don't think I read the essays in their entirety, but I did read his section on Education. "
— Sharon, 12/25/2013 -
" Good, mischievous and simply thoughtful. "
— Shahzeb, 12/21/2013 -
" I read these essays every decade or so, since college. Always seems totally different and is always totally awesome. "
— Blake, 11/17/2013 -
" "on regret" and "on solitude" had life-altering effects on the way i live. "
— Amy, 11/13/2013 -
" Non si finisce mai. Per fortuna. "
— Matteo, 11/10/2013 -
" However, I prefer the Donald Frame translation. "
— Randy, 2/18/2013 -
" Ok, to be honest, just read like a couple of essays for my lit. course. But he's a great author, and his essays are full of irony and political interest. "
— Luna, 8/11/2012 -
" This is the book I pick up and read from whenever I start to despair of humanity. Much like (I suppose) the Bible does for some people, reading Montaigne gives me hope for a better world to come. "
— peaseblossom, 6/16/2012 -
" I wish that Michel was still alive, that he was my uncle, that he lived a couple of miles away and that we liked to go fishing together. "
— Jason, 4/20/2012 -
" just what I like: a series of attempts! "
— Natalie, 3/15/2012 -
" Pioneering prose. Huge impact on Emerson. "
— Rhett, 3/14/2012
About Michel de Montaigne
Michel de Montaigne (Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne) was born in 1533, the son and heir of Pierre, Seigneur de Montaigne—two previous children having died soon after birth. He was brought up to speak Latin as his mother tongue and always retained a Latin turn of mind. After studying law, he became counselor to the Parlement of Bordeaux. He married in 1565 and in 1571 retired to his lands at Montaigne, where he devoted himself to reading and reflection and to composing his Essays. He loathed the fanaticism and cruelties of the religious wars of the period. He was elected Mayor of Bordeaux twice, a post he held for four years. He died at Montaigne in 1592 while preparing the final, and richest, edition of his Essays.
About Clive Chafer
Clive Chafer is a professional actor, director, producer, and theater instructor. Originally from England and educated at Leeds and Exeter universities, he has performed and directed at many theaters in the San Francisco area, where he makes his home, and elsewhere in the US. In 1993 he founded TheatreFIRST, Oakland’s professional theater company, where he served as artistic director until 2008.