Michel Montaigne

Nobody in Western civilisation had ever tried to do what Montaigne set out to do. In a vivid, contemporary style, he moves swiftly from thought to thought, often digressing from an idea only to return, having caught up with it elsewhere. In these essays, Montaigne lays out for his contemporaries and for us his plan for how a man might...

Reflections by the creator of the essay form display the humane, sceptical, humorous, and honest views of Montaigne, revealing his thoughts on sexuality, religion, cannibals, intellectuals, and other unexpected themes. Included are such celebrated works as On Solitude, To Philosophise Is to Learn How to Die, and On Experience.