Here are some of his titles:īy diverse means we arrive at the same end. He meant them not as pedantic treatises, but as attempts or experiments upon himself. Living from 1533 to 1592, in a France dominated by bloody and miserable civil war, he maintained as private a life as possible while writing 107 lively, revealing pieces which he called essais, or “tries” – a term he was the first to use in this way. They are all versions of a bigger conundrum: How do you live? This subject obsessed Renaissance writers, none more than Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, considered by many to be the first truly modern author. Such questions arise in most people’s lives. How do you avoid pointless arguments? How do you get over the death of someone you love? How do you balance the need to feel safe against the need to feel free? How do you deal with fanatics? How do you make the most of every moment?
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