Michel de Montaigne
Also known as Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, Miquèu Eiquèm de Montanha, Miqueu Eiquem de Montanha
French author, philosopher, and statesman (1533–1592)
AI overview
Michel de Montaigne was a French author and philosopher from the Renaissance period (1533–1592) who invented the essay as a literary form to explore his thoughts on human nature, society, and himself. His influential works shaped Western philosophy and literature by introducing a personal, conversational style of writing that invited readers to think critically about the world around them.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1533
- Died
- 1592
- Works
- 772
Top works
- Guía literaria del amor
- Guía literaria de Roma
- World Literature 1999
- Essais - Livre I (1595)
- Essais - Livre II (1595)
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Writing
via TMDB
Music · MusicBrainz
- Type
- Person
- Gender
- Male
- Origin
- France
- Active from
- 1533-02-28
- Active to
- 1592-09-13
via MusicBrainz · CC0
Works in European collections
34 objects attributed to Michel de Montaigne, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana
Article
The coat of arms of Michel Eyquem, Lord of Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne (28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as just Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the essay as a literary genre. His work is noted for its merging of casual anecdotes and autobiography with intellectual insight. Montaigne had a direct influence on numerous writers of Western literature; his Essais contain some of the most influential essays ever written.
During his lifetime, Montaigne was admired more as a statesman than as an author. The tendency in his essays to digress into anecdotes and personal ruminations was seen as detrimental to proper style, rather than as an innovation; moreover, his declaration that "I am myself the matter of my book" was viewed by his contemporaries as self-indulgent. In time, however, Montaigne came to be recognised as embodying the spirit of critical thought and open inquiry that began to emerge around that time. He is best known for his sceptical remark, "What do I know?" ("Que sçay-je?" in Middle French; "Que sais-je?" in modern French).
