Find out more about the greatest French Essayists, including Voltaire, Simone de Beauvoir, Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Houellebecq and Henri Bergson.
Voltaire21 November 1694
Writer
Simone de Beauvoir09 January 1908
Writer
Denis Diderot05 October 1713
Philosopher
Henri Bergson18 October 1859
Philosopher and Writer
René Girard25 December 1923
Philosopher
Pierre Bourdieu01 August 1930
Philosopher, Sociologist, Anthropologist,
Michel Houellebecq26 February 1956
Poet, Film director, Songwriter, Essayist,
Guy Debord28 December 1931
Film maker, Artist, Philosopher, Film director,
François-René de Chateaubriand04 September 1768
Writer, Politician, Diplomat, Historian, Poet,
Georges Perec07 March 1936
Writer, Film director, Screenwriter, Poet,
Tristan Tzara16 April 1896
Art collector, Poet, Writer, Diplomat, Film
Romain Rolland29 January 1866
Writer, Playwright, Essayist, Historian, Novelist,
Michel Onfray01 January 1959
Philosopher, Writer, Historian, Essayist, Audio
Edmond Rostand01 April 1868
Playwright, Writer, Poet, Essayist, Screenwriter
Gérard de Nerval25 May 1808
Writer
Albert Memmi15 December 1920
Writer
Robert Faurisson25 January 1929
Essayist, Faculty, University teacher, Writer,
Sully Prudhomme16 March 1839
Poet, Writer, Essayist, Diarist
Charles Péguy07 January 1873
Poet
Pierre Loti14 January 1850
Writer, Q3349700, Novelist, Essayist, Diarist,
Léon Bloy11 July 1846
Writer, Poet, Essayist, Journalist, Novelist,
Pascal Bruckner15 December 1948
Writer, Novelist, Essayist, Screenwriter
Jean Giraudoux29 October 1882
Playwright, Screenwriter, Diplomat, Novelist,
Pierre Drieu La Rochelle03 January 1893
Writer
Henry de Montherlant20 April 1895
Essayist
Julien Green06 September 1900
Writer
Vernon Lee14 October 1856
Writer
Benjamin Fondane14 November 1898
Linguist, Poet, Librarian, Film director,
Edgar Faure18 August 1908
Politician
Francis Ponge27 March 1899
Essayist
Paul Morand13 March 1888
Author
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Louis-Sébastien Mercier06 June 1740
Author
Joseph Joubert07 May 1754
Philosopher, Essayist, Writer
Edgar Quinet17 February 1803
Historian
Stéphane Hessel20 October 1917
Diplomat
Andreas Capellanus1150 AD
Author
Étienne Pivert de Senancour16 November 1770
Essayist
Léon Daudet16 November 1867
Journalist
Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues06 August 1715
Author
Charles-François Lebrun19 March 1739
Statesman
Hervé Bazin17 April 1911
Writer
Jacques-Nicolas Billaud-Varenne23 April 1756
Architect
Élie Halévy06 September 1870
Philosopher
André Frossard14 January 1915
Journalist
Marie-Claire Blais05 October 1939
Writer
Claude Mauriac25 April 1914
Author
Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac31 May 1597
Author
Léon-Paul Fargue04 March 1876
Poet
Gustave Kahn21 December 1859
Poet
Jacques Rivière15 July 1886
Writer
Louis Gabriel Ambroise de Bonald02 October 1754
Philosopher, Politician, Essayist
Charles Du Bos27 October 1882
Essayist
Kazimierz Brandys27 October 1916
Essayist
Pierre, comte Daru12 January 1767
French military administrator
Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio13 April 1940
Writer
Jean-Baptiste Louvet12 June 1760
Novelist
Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens24 June 1704
Author
Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois19 June 1749
Actor
Pierre-Claude-François Daunou18 August 1761
French statesman