Whose Birthday Is It? February 28, 2018

Michel de Montaigne (1533)

On his 38th birthday, Montaigne retreated to his library in a tower of his family’s French château, and there he spent most of the next decade thinking, reading, and writing. The result was Essais, or Attempts, a series of short prose reflections on many subjects that form one of the most captivating and intimate self-portraits ever written. Montaigne’s Essais established the essay as a literary form. What personal tragedy may have prompted Montaigne to begin writing? More…