The Essays of Montaigne

The Essays of Michel de Montaigne (1580-1592)

"Que sais-je?" — "What do I know?" Montaigne invented the essay form: short, personal, digressive explorations of everything from cannibals to kidney stones, from death to the education of children.

Historical Significance:
Michel de Montaigne, a French nobleman who retired to his château's tower library in 1571, spent the rest of his life writing Essais — literally "attempts" or "trials." Published in three volumes (1580, 1588, 1595), the Essays invented a new literary form: the personal essay, in which the author's own experience and self-observation become the primary subject. Montaigne's radical skepticism, his tolerance, his curiosity about other cultures (he was one of the first Europeans to write sympathetically about indigenous peoples), and his unflinching self-examination made him the first truly modern writer. Shakespeare read him; Emerson worshipped him; every essayist since writes in his shadow.

This public domain classic was originally published 1580-1592. Free to read and share.