Voltaire

This passage is about a French philosopher and author that went by the nickname of Voltaire.

Lexile Level: 830L

Categories: History People & Places

In 1694, a man named Francois Marie Arouet was born in Paris. His nickname was Voltaire. He went on to be a great author and philosopher. For a long time, however, his country didn't like him at all. The French put Voltaire in prison in 1717 for writing a critical piece of work about the French government. In 1726, he wrote something else that made the government angry, and the country said he must face imprisonment or leave the country. Voltaire left and lived in England from 1726 to 1729. After many years, France was proud of Voltaire's writing, which often criticized religious intolerance and persecution. In 1746, France inducted Voltaire into the French Academy, an organization dedicated to matters of the French language. At the time of his death in 1778, the French people loved Voltaire. He died in Paris at age 83.