Secondary sourceBook1903
The Life of Voltaire
Evelyn Beatrice Hall · 1903
An English-language biography of Voltaire by Evelyn Beatrice Hall, giving a clear account of his life for general readers.
A readable later biography presenting Voltaire's life and character to English-speaking readers.
About this source
What it is
This is a biography of Voltaire written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall (writing under the name S. G. Tallentyre) and published in the early 1900s. It includes illustrations, such as one of a statue of Voltaire by the sculptor Houdon.
Why it matters
This readable biography helped introduce English-speaking audiences to Voltaire's life and character more than a century after his death. It shows how his reputation as a sharp-witted writer and defender of free expression continued to be told and retold by later authors.
- Why might a biographer choose a quotation about having 'no sceptre, but a pen' to open the book?
- What does the choice to illustrate the book with a statue suggest about how Voltaire was remembered?
- How might a biography written in English for a general audience differ from one written by a specialist scholar?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Voltaire on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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