Voltaire

François-Marie Arouet invented himself as Voltaire after his first stay in the Bastille, imprisoned for verses mocking the Regent. It would not be his last imprisonment, nor his last provocation. Over a career spanning six decades, he became the most famous writer in Europe: playwright, poet, historian, philosopher, and above all, controversialist. Exiled to England after insulting a nobleman, he discovered Newton's physics, Locke's philosophy, and a society where people could argue about religion without being burned. He returned to France transformed, determined to import English enlightenment to his superstitious countrymen. His works were banned, burned, and smuggled across borders; his plays filled theaters; his correspondence reached thousands. He grew rich through clever investments and built an estate at Ferney, just across the Swiss border, where he could flee French authorities when necessary.