Persian Letters

What it is

This is the title page of an edition of Lettres persanes, a satirical epistolary work published anonymously in 1721 by Montesquieu. It tells the story of two Persian noblemen, Uzbek and Rica, travelling and living in France.

Why it matters

Through letters exchanged between the travellers, their friends, and Uzbek's wives and eunuchs left behind in his seraglio, the book satirises French politics, religion and manners under Louis XIV and the Regency. It made Montesquieu's reputation as a writer years before his later political works, and shows his early interest in how different societies and customs compare.

Look closer

• Why might Montesquieu have used fictional foreign observers to criticise French society instead of writing directly?
• What does the choice of letters as a form let the author do that a straightforward essay could not?
• What does the treatment of the wives and eunuchs in the story suggest about attitudes of the time?