Voltaire

Voltaire was born François-Marie Arouet in Paris in 1694. He took his pen name early and never looked back. He was a poet, playwright and historian. Above all he was a fighter with a pen. His wit made him famous. It also made him enemies. Twice he was thrown into the Bastille, the royal prison, because he mocked powerful men. Later he spent years in exile in England, where he admired the freedom of thought he found there.