TheFamousPeople

Find out more about the greatest 18th Century Essayists, including Voltaire, Samuel Johnson, Washington Irving, Charles Lamb and Denis Diderot.

Famous 18th Century Essayists

VoltaireVoltaire
21 November 1694, French
Writer
Samuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson
18 September 1709, British
Writer

Washington IrwingWashington Irving
03 April 1783, American
Author, Historian, Diplomat

Denis DiderotDenis Diderot
05 October 1713, French
Philosopher

Charles LambCharles Lamb
10 February 1775, British
Writer & Essayist

William HazlittWilliam Hazlitt
10 April 1778, British
English Writer & Literary Critic
Thomas De QuinceyThomas De Quincey
15 August 1785, British
Essayist

Leigh HuntLeigh Hunt
19 October 1784, British
English Essayist, Poet & Critic

Hannah MoreHannah More
02 February 1745, British
Writer, Poet, Essayist
George PsalmanazarGeorge Psalmanazar
1679 AD, French
Essayist

Anna Letitia BarbauldAnna Letitia Barbauld
20 June 1743, British
Poet
Ludvig HolbergLudvig Holberg
03 December 1684, Danish, Norwegian
Writer

J. Hector St. John de CrèvecœurJ. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur
31 December 1735, French, American
Writer

Jean-Marie Collot d'HerboisJean-Marie Collot d'Herbois
19 June 1749, French
Actor

Elizabeth MontaguElizabeth Montagu
02 October 1718, British
Critic

Francesco AlgarottiFrancesco Algarotti
11 December 1712, Italian
Polymath
Bernard Le Bovier de FontenelleBernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle
11 February 1657, French
Author

Joseph JoubertJoseph Joubert
07 May 1754, French
Philosopher, Essayist, Writer

Hartley ColeridgeHartley Coleridge
19 September 1796, British
Poet

Anacharsis ClootsAnacharsis Cloots
24 June 1755, German
Politician
Judith Sargent Stevens MurrayJudith Sargent Stevens Murray
01 May 1751, American
Advocate

Louis-Sébastien MercierLouis-Sébastien Mercier
06 June 1740, French
Author
Charles-François LebrunCharles-François Lebrun
19 March 1739, French
Statesman

Jacques-Nicolas Billaud-VarenneJacques-Nicolas Billaud-Varenne
23 April 1756, French
Architect

Luc de Clapiers, marquis de VauvenarguesLuc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues
06 August 1715, French
Author
Sylvain MaréchalSylvain Maréchal
15 August 1750, French
Essayist

Ferenc KölcseyFerenc Kölcsey
08 August 1790, Hungarian
Poet
Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y MontenegroBenito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro
08 October 1676, Spanish
Monk

Henry Francis CaryHenry Francis Cary
06 December 1772, British
Biographer

Konstantin BatyushkovKonstantin Batyushkov
29 May 1787, Russian
Poet
Étienne Pivert de SenancourÉtienne Pivert de Senancour
16 November 1770, French
Essayist

Continue Reading Below
José CadalsoJosé Cadalso
08 October 1741, Spanish
Author
Francis Jeffrey, Lord JeffreyFrancis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey
23 October 1773, Scottish
Judge

Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'ArgensJean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens
24 June 1704, French
Author

Vincenzo CuocoVincenzo Cuoco
01 October 1770, Italian
Historian

Jean-Baptiste LouvetJean-Baptiste Louvet
12 June 1760, French
Novelist
John BanimJohn Banim
03 April 1798, Irish
Authors
Pierre-Claude-François DaunouPierre-Claude-François Daunou
18 August 1761, French
French statesman

Vasily TrediakovskyVasily Trediakovsky
05 March 1703, Russian
Poet

George Colman the ElderGeorge Colman the Elder
31 March 1732, Italian
Dramatist

William RadcliffeWilliam Radcliffe
1761 AD, British
Inventor
Pierre, comte DaruPierre, comte Daru
12 January 1767, French
French military administrator

Caroline Howard GilmanCaroline Howard Gilman
1794 AD, American
Writer

Buenaventura Carles AribauBuenaventura Carles Aribau
04 November 1798, Spanish
Author