Description: The Essays (French: Essais) of Michel de Montaigne are contained in three books and 107 chapters of varying length.
Brief description: Michel de Montaigne was a 16th century French author who developed the essay as a literary genre. His first two books of essays were published in 1580. "A man never speaks of himself without losing something. What he says in his disfavor is always believed, but when he commends himself, he arouses mistrust." Born into a French family of minor nobility on February 28, 1533, Michel de Montaigne held a seat in the Bordeaux parliament. Montaigne retired from public life and began to write a series of philosophical and personal essays in 1571. This writing was the first of its kind, making Montaigne responsible for the establishment of the essay as a literary genre. He died in France on September 13, 1592. Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, generally known as Michel de Montaigne, was born on February 28, 1533, in Château de Montaigne (near Bordeaux, France). Montaigne's wealthy father, Pierre Eyquem de Montaigne, decided to nurture his son's intellectual development by making Latin his first language. Montaigne didn't learn French until he was 6. Montaigne attended the College of Guyenne in Bordeaux. He is then presumed to have studied law in Toulouse before beginning his career at the court of Périgueux. In 1557, Montaigne moved to a seat in the Bordeaux parliament. Montaigne's father died in 1568, shortly after he had asked Montaigne to produce a French translation of Teholgia naturalis (Natural Theology), written by Spanish theologian Raymond Sebond. Montaigne's translation was published in 1569