{"product_id":"what-do-i-know-essential-essays-9781782278818","title":"What Do I Know?: Essential Essays","description":"\u003cb\u003eA fresh new translation of Michel de Montaigne's most profound, searching essays, with an introduction from Yiyun Li, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Goose\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis gift-worthy collection of 16 essays by \"the father of the essay\" is a short, accessible introduction to his work, offering a fascinating glimpse inside a great Renaissance mind \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"I myself am the subject of my book.\" So wrote Montaigne in the introductory note to his \u003ci\u003eEssays\u003c\/i\u003e, the book that marked the birth of the modern essay form. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn works of probing intelligence and idiosyncratic observation, Montaigne moved from intimate personal observation to roving theories of the conduct of kings and cannibals, the effects of sorrow and fear, and the fallibility of human memory and judgement. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis new selection of Montaigne's 16 most ingenious essays appears in a lucid new translation by the prize-winning David Coward. \u003ci\u003eWhat Do I Know?\u003c\/i\u003e gives the modern reader profound insight into a great Renaissance mind. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhat Do I Know? \u003c\/i\u003eis divided into 3 sections and includes: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMONTAIGNE ON MONTAIGNE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eOn Sorrow, On how our Actions are to be judged by the Intention, On Idling, On Liars, That we should not be considered happy until we are dead\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eON THE PURSUIT OF REASON\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eOn Fear, To tell true from false, it is folly to rely on our own capacities, How we can cry and laugh at the same thing, On Solitude, On the Uncertainty of our Judgement, On Drunkenness\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eON GOVERNANCE AND GOVERNORS\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eOn Cannibals, On the Inequality that exists between us, On Sleep, On our lease of life, On Carriages\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichel de Montaigne \u003c\/b\u003e(1533-1592) was born on his family estate in Aquitaine, not far from Bordeaux. Raised speaking Greek and Latin, he studied law before embarking on a career of public service, first as a counselor of court in Périgueux and Bordeaux, then as a courtier to Charles the IX. Following the death of his father, Montaigne retired from public life to the Tower of his château to read and write. He published the first two volumes of his landmark \u003ci\u003eEssays\u003c\/i\u003e in 1580, with a third following in 1588; the complete \u003ci\u003eEssays\u003c\/i\u003e appeared posthumously in 1595. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Coward \u003c\/b\u003eis Emeritus Professor of French at the University of Leeds and a translator of many books from the French, including Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret series and Arthur Cohen's \u003ci\u003eBelle du Seigneur\u003c\/i\u003e, for which he was awarded a Scott Moncrieff Prize.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Pushkin Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50620938715410,"sku":"9781782278818","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_430080d8-a27f-46aa-91e5-c078d1210f9a.jpg?v=1761735931","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/what-do-i-know-essential-essays-9781782278818","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}