Review of Voltaire Almighty

Within this book is a tale of illegitimacy, love affairs, exile, stardom, prison and tireless ongoing battles between critics, priests and kings, author Roger Peterson's brilliant biography of Voltaire brings this character very vividly to life.

"For over 500 years Paris had been the largest city in Europe thought London was fast catching up. Sanitation, where it existed, was rudimentary and water was in short supply. And the noise! The constant clatter of wheel on cobble, the crack of the whip and drivers yells, the hawker's cry and the pleads of flowergirls and pamplet-sellers, street entertainers singing for their supper, or charlatans promising everything from a wrinkle-free forehead to cures for all your ills."

Pearson's excellent visualization and ability to create imagery for his readers goes without saying. He portrays and paints such an excellent picture of the time in which Voltaire lived that you can almost hear the hawker's cry and the flowergirls trying to sell their wares.

Roger Peterson is a Professor of French at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Queen's College. This latest book was published by Bloomsbury in November 2005 with an RRP for this wonderful book of only 18.99. The sub-title of the book is "A life in Pursuit of Freedom".

Voltaire was famous in his life as a poet and dramatist. He managed to be in the thick of things and yet survey them from a distance. He was born in Francois-Marie Arouet in 1694 and at a early age he was sent to a Jesuit school of Louis-Le-Grand where he learned his love of the theatre and of poetry. His Father once confessed that "Voltaire was devoured by a thirst for celebrity."

In the year 1725 Voltaire was beaten up by a gang of hired assasins who were hired by Chevalier De Rohan, an arosticrat. When Voltaire tried to fight back he was immediately sent to the Bastille. It was then that Voltaire decided to hide-out in England and his life was never to be the same again.

Voltaire later returned to his homeland in 1734 and it was no time at all before he was in trouble with the Church and the court. This was to become the pattern of his life and he, once again, had to seek refuge. This time it was in Champagne with a lady called Eilime Le Tonnelierde Breteuil, the Marquise De Chatelet and a former mistress of Voltaire's friend, the Duke of Richelieu.

Voltaire spent 16 years there where he extended and repaired the chateau in Cirey. He occasionally visited the courts of Versaille and spent many days in the low countries where he entertained, conducted scientific experiments, quarreled and produced many plays and pamplets.

Voltaire went on to become one of the most famous men in Europe. He had no particular affiliation with any political forum and was considered a Philosopher. He had many enemies within the Church however he went on to be creative, campaign for justice and was "champion" for many of the so-called, justice system in France.

This book is written with such excellent knowledge and highly professional penmanship. Roger Peterson presents his work with eloquence and it is hard not to become totally engrossed in Voltaire, a very diverse character, who is highly underestimated within the annals of history.