![]() ![]() Calling his pieces of writing a collection of “Essays,” he wrote in a raw, personal, digressive, and off-the-cuff way that gave birth to the genre of writing that bears their name. After living a fairly unremarkable life and retiring in his 30s, Montaigne started writing in order to give his mind some focus, and ward off the “melancholy” he felt, now that he didn’t have much to do. Written by Michel de Montaigne in the sixteenth century, they were bold, experimental, confessional, messy, and controversial pieces that turned him into one of the most influential authors who ever lived. But those snooze fests are a far cry from the original Essays – the first works of writing to be given that name. What’s the first thing you think about when you hear the word “essay”?įor many of us, it’s probably one of those formulaic papers we had to write back in our school days. ![]() ![]() Motivation, Inspiration, Personal Development, Philosophy, Biography, Memoir, History, Criticism, French Literary Criticism, Philosopher Biographies, Philosophy History and Survey Introduction: Get to know Montaigne and one of the most influential books ever written. ![]() Along the way, it suggests some lessons we can take from his life and apply to our own. How to Live (2010) is both a biography of the writer Montaigne and an overview of the monumental work for which he’s famous: the Essays – a genre of writing that he invented. ![]()
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