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Bezig met laden... Voltaire in Exiledoor Ian Davidson
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 Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. 2   jcbrunner | Jun 30, 2010 |    ) SkjaldOfBorea | Jun 12, 2009 | geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
in 1753, Voltaire - playwright, poet, philosopher, and one of the most feted figures in Europe - was forced into exile by Louis XV, where he would remain for the last twenty-five years of his life. These years heralded a startling new beginning during which Voltaire became a successful entrepreneur and wrote his masterpiece Candide. Cast out by the establishment, Voltaire also developed his astonishingly modern ideas of human rights, borne out in his campaigns against a series of miscarriages of justice. ian Davidson has drawn on the rich correspondence between Voltaire and his family, members of the Court at Versailles and the French intellectual elite, to paint a brilliant portrait of the person declared by Diderot to the 'the unique man of the century'. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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 Google Books — Bezig met laden...GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)848.509Literature French Miscellaneous French writings 18th century 1715–89LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde: (3.64)
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Voltaire was filthy rich, a private banker to the lesser princes of Germany. He built his dream palace, including a private theater, demolished and reconstructed the parish church (including the grandiose inscription "Deo erexit VOLTAIRE"). While he showed elements of modernity and free spirit, he had a decidedly conservative and monarchical bent. He acquired a title and loved to be among princes and kings. His place in the Pantheon was due to both a misappropriation by and a misunderstanding of the French revolutionaries. While Voltaire sought justice, he never wanted equality. He was a member of the elite. He cared for his people in Ferney in a paternalistic way in setting up a profitable watchmaking industry (Voltaire was a gifted business and marketing man promoting and selling his watches abroad).
Voltaire's exile at Europe’s crossroads in Ferney, both in and out of France (as it was in Savoy), was time well spent. He would probably have wasted his time with distractions and died early in unhealthy Paris. Thus, in hindsight, the exile was a blessing to him and to us, for this great biography brings the man to life again. Highly recommended. (