Voltaire, known for his wit and wit in defending civil liberties, including freedom of religion and free trade, is one of many Enlightenment figures whose works and ideas influenced important thinkers of both the French and American Revolutions. A prolific writer, Voltaire produced around 70 works in almost all literary forms, signing plays, poems, novels, essays, scientific and historical works, over 20,000 letters, and over 2,000 books and pamphlets.
He was an outspoken advocate of social reform despite strict censorship laws and severe punishments for those who broke them. A satirical polemicist, he often used his works to criticize the Catholic Church and French institutions of his day. Voltaire is the patriarch of Ferney. He was known for directing harsh criticisms of absolutist kings and the privileges of the clergy and nobility.