Michel de Montaigne
1533 – 1592 French essayist, philosopher
The inventor of the essay, who made himself his subject.
- Religion
- Catholic by profession, tolerant and skeptical in temper during the French wars of religion.
- Affiliations
- Magistrate and mayor of Bordeaux. No secret society.
Montaigne created the personal essay, a form of frank, exploratory self-examination on every topic under the sun. His skeptical motto, what do I know, captured his questioning spirit. He shaped modern prose and influenced Shakespeare, Descartes, and countless writers since.