Michel
Montaigne, trans. Donald M. Frame.
The Complete Works.
Everyman,
2003.
Hardback ISBN
1400040213.
Publisher's
recommended price $30.00
Humanist,
skeptic,
acute observer of himself and others, Michel de Montaigne (1533-92) was
the first to use the term “essay” to refer to the form he pioneered and
he has remained one of its most famous practitioners. He reflected on
the
great themes of existence in his masterly and engaging writings, his
subjects
ranging from proper conversation and good reading, to the raising of
children
and the endurance of pain, from solitude, destiny, time and custom, to
truth, consciousness, and death. Having stood the test of time, his
essays
continue to influence writers nearly five hundred years later.
Also
included
in this complete edition of his works are Montaigne’s letters and
travel
journal, fascinating records of the experiences and contemplations that
would shape and infuse his essays. Montaigne speaks to us always in a
personal
voice in which his virtues of tolerance, moderation, and understanding
are dazzlingly manifest.
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