Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
Montaigne - A Life - cover

We are sorry! The publisher (or author) gave us the instruction to take down this book from our catalog. But please don't worry, you still have more than 500,000 other books you can enjoy!

Montaigne - A Life

Philippe Desan

Translator Steven Rendall, Lisa Neal

Publisher: Princeton University Press

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

A definitive biography of the great French essayist and thinkerOne of the most important writers and thinkers of the Renaissance, Michel de Montaigne (1533–92) helped invent a literary genre that seemed more modern than anything that had come before. But did he do it, as he suggests in his Essays, by retreating to his chateau, turning his back on the world, and stoically detaching himself from his violent times? In this definitive biography, Philippe Desan, one of the world's leading authorities on Montaigne, overturns this longstanding myth by showing that Montaigne was constantly concerned with realizing his political ambitions—and that the literary and philosophical character of the Essays largely depends on them. The most comprehensive and authoritative biography of Montaigne yet written, this sweeping narrative offers a fascinating new picture of his life and work.As Desan shows, Montaigne always considered himself a political figure and he conceived of each edition of the Essays as an indispensable prerequisite to the next stage of his public career. He lived through eight civil wars, successfully lobbied to be raised to the nobility, and served as mayor of Bordeaux, special ambassador, and negotiator between Henry III and Henry of Navarre. It was only toward the very end of Montaigne’s life, after his political failure, that he took refuge in literature. But, even then, it was his political experience that enabled him to find the right tone for his genre.In this essential biography, we discover a new Montaigne—caught up in the events of his time, making no separation between private and public life, and guided by strategy first in his words and silences. Neither candid nor transparent, but also not yielding to the cynicism of his age, this Montaigne lends a new depth to the Montaigne of literary legend.
Available since: 12/27/2016.

Other books that might interest you

  • Get Up - A 12-Step Guide to Recovery for Misfits Freaks & Weirdos - cover

    Get Up - A 12-Step Guide to...

    Bucky Sinister

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    A (former) skeptic works the 12-step program. “An incredibly funny and interesting guide on how to successfully unpack one’s mind when it’s overpacked.”—Amber Tamblyn, Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actress   This smart and snide book is a testament to the effectiveness of the 12-Step Program, a path to recovery that Bucky Sinister never expected to go down (and work). As a poet, author, and comedian, Sinister doesn’t hold back from speaking the truth in this book. He speaks bluntly about addiction and his own struggles with it. Sinister appeals to those who are turned off by the usual recovery self-helps. He talks straight to readers who struggle to buy into the effectiveness of the 12-Step Program—particularly those like Sinister, an atheist, who have problems with the “higher power” concept intertwined with the program.Get Up presents itself as self-help, but don’t expect it to have the same tone as others you’ve read. The book is full of Sinister’s comedic touch, colorful language, and stories from “scumbags” that contain life-saving wisdom. An unabashed testimony to Sinister’s personal journey to sobriety and those of others, this recovery book is sure to educate, entertain, and inspire. Readers of books such as The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober; Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions; and Staying Sober Without God will find further guidance and inspiration in Get Up, which should be the next book for you.  “Step 13: Read Get Up, do what Bucky says, and find your inner A-Team character. And if you’re a ‘normie,’ buy this book for your friend who thinks they are too cool to get sober.”—Jen Kirkman, stand-up comedian, actor, and writer
    Show book
  • San Francisco Noir - cover

    San Francisco Noir

    Domenic Stansberry, David...

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    This anthology of “genuinely haunting noir fiction” set in the Golden City features new stories by Jim Nisbet, Alejandro Murguía, Michelle Tea and others (Publishers Weekly).   Oscar Wilde once quipped that anyone who disappears is said to be seen in in San Francisco. With its famous fog, winding streets, and hazardously steep hills, it is certainly an ideal place for getting lost. It’s also an ideal setting for noir fiction. From Fisherman’s Warf and The Golden Gate Bridge to The Haight-Ashbury, Chinatown, and Russian Hill, fifteen authors explore the sordid side of the City by the Bay in this sterling collection.  San Francisco Noir features brand-new stories by Barry Gifford, Robert Mailer Anderson, Michelle Tea, Peter Plate, Kate Braverman, Domenic Stansberry, David Corbett, Eddie Muller, Alejandro Murguía, Sin Soracco, Alvin Lu, John Longhi, Will Christopher Baer, Jim Nisbet, and David Henry Sterry.
    Show book
  • Treading the Deep - Inspirational Lessons on Life and Leadership - cover

    Treading the Deep -...

    Bradley Jones

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    A directionless young man with an anxiety disorder enlists in the military—and accomplishes things he never expected—in this inspiring, entertaining memoir. In his wildest dreams, Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Bradley P. Jones never thought he would make a career out of the military. Like many, he joined for the college tuition assistance. Secretly worried that his panic attacks might prevent him from making it through, he was nevertheless determined to serve out his first and only enlistment, and then move on to bigger and better things. He managed to leave the military—called a break in service—for four years, but the military never left his thoughts or his system.   There was something about serving his country that constantly called to him through his missionary service in South America and then into his university studies. Bradley finally succumbed to that calling—reenlisting into an AH-64 Apache helicopter battalion near the university. From there, his service led to a career he loved—working on Apaches as a full-time federal employee, while starting a family with his wife as a newlywed. While serving in Kuwait on September 11, 2001, his life, along with those of millions of others in and out of uniform, changed. From that day, his career trajectory seemed to him to be predetermined, finally culminating in his appointment to serve his beloved fellow soldiers as the top enlisted member in the battalion.   In Treading the Deep, Bradley Jones’s humor and faith-promoting experiences restore our belief in the tenacity of the human spirit and its ability to ultimately overcome—no matter the trials or circumstances.
    Show book
  • Wired Up Wrong - cover

    Wired Up Wrong

    Rachael Smith

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    A new graphic memoir, from the award-winning author of Quarantine Comix.
    
    Hoping to better understand her own brain, award-winning comic-creator Rachael Smith set about documenting her experiences and struggles with anxiety and depression through comic strips.
    
    The resulting book, Wired Up Wrong, is both educating and entertaining, holding a mirror up to all the flattering and unflattering aspects of mental health.
    
    Featuring Rufus the cat, Barky, a giant black dog who lives inside her head, and two tiny, imaginary game-show hosts, Comedy Women in Print-shortlisted Rachael Smith's work is at times light-hearted, others heart-breaking, but always brave and honest.
    Show book
  • Getting Good at Being You - Learning to Love Who God Made You to Be - cover

    Getting Good at Being You -...

    Lauren Alaina, Trisha Yearwood

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Read by the author. 
    With a little bit of country, a whole lot of faith, and a healthy dose of sass, award-winning singer-songwriter Lauren Alaina's debut book, Getting Good at Being You, invites you to take the road less traveled as you step right up to who God calls you to be. 
    After years in the spotlight on American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, country music star Lauren Alaina has learned a thing or two about fighting self-doubt and feeling at home in her own skin. In Getting Good at Being You, Lauren shares stories about everything from lost loves to getting a nose ring to battling an eating disorder to grieving a loved one’s death. Each story leads to practical tips, take-it-on-the-road strategies, and encouragement for your own personal and spiritual growth. 
    In this book, you will be inspired to:speak to yourself with kindness and compassionchase the dreams that light your spirit on firecultivate rich relationships with family and friendsidentify self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviorsoffer forgiveness for yourself and others 
    Throughout the book, you will find:behind-the-scenes photos from Lauren's career in country music.lists, tips, and strategies to boost your self-confidence.prompts to help you dream big and run toward who you are. 
    Each of us deserves head-over-heels, can't-get-enough, shout-it-from-the-mountaintops self-love. By the final page of Getting Good at Being You, that's just the kind of confidence you'll have. As Lauren discovered, maybe life is getting good after all.
    Show book
  • Mother Knew Best - Memoirs of a London Girlhood - cover

    Mother Knew Best - Memoirs of a...

    Dorothy Cannell

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    'Cheer up,' said Mother. 'Don't make your unhappy life miserable.'
    Before Jennifer Worth and other East End memoirists, there was Dorothy 'Dolly' Scannell.
    In the East End of Dolly's childhood, people met poverty and hardship with unfailing optimism and humour. Dolly grew up with nine brothers and sisters, her father - a plumber earning ?2 a week and a man who believed that 'all aristocratic men were disease-ridden and possessed bald-headed wives because of the rich food and wine they consumed' - and of course Mother, who cared for her large brood with rare wisdom, laughter, and unbounded love.
    The menagerie also occasionally included members of the animal kingdom, but no mere cats and dogs - instead there were chinchillas, cannibalistic chickens, a ferocious eel kept in a pail of water, and even, eventually, the pride of mother's wardrobe, a kangaroo-fur coat.
    With the sure touch of a natural story-teller, who combines a perfect memory with a true writer's gift, Dolly vividly recreates her childhood world: the streets in which she played - and the playground where she was rescued from a child molester; the local shops and the adulterated goods sold within; the new house that her father was going to pay for with his ever-madder schemes to make a fortune, such as a revolutionary kind of truss.
    'A proper treat, I can tell you, bright as Pearlie buttons, colourful as a street market' Evening Standard
    Show book