Œuvres Complètes de Chamfort (Tome 1) / Recueillies et publiées avec une notice historique sur la vie et les écrits de l'auteur.

Name: Œuvres Complètes de Chamfort (Tome 1) / Recueillies et publiées avec une notice historique sur la vie et les écrits de l'auteur.
Author: Sébastien-Roch-Nicolas Chamfort

By Sébastien-Roch-Nicolas Chamfort

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About This Book

The volume opens with a biographical notice tracing the author’s upbringing, struggles, health, and social career, then assembles a diverse corpus: comedies and a tragedy, eulogies and fable commentary, short tales, aphorisms, essays, and correspondence. The pieces pair sharp wit and caustic satire with melancholic reflection, yielding concise maxims and vivid social portraits that expose hypocrisies and fashionable vices while probing friendship, ambition, and the burdens of dependence. Formal variety alternates polished rhetorical essays with epigrammatic observations, literary criticism, and narrative sketches, offering both theatrical workmanship and terse moral dicta that together outline a skeptical, incisive intelligence.

About the Author

Chamfort, Sébastien-Roch-Nicolas portrait

Sébastien-Roch-Nicolas Chamfort

Sébastien-Roch Nicolas de Chamfort was a French writer and philosopher known for his sharp wit and insightful maxims. Born in the 18th century, he became a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time, contributing significantly to the genre of moral and philosophical reflection. His most notable work, "The Cynic's Breviary: Maxims and Anecdotes from Nicolas de Chamfort," showcases his ability to blend humor with profound observations on human nature and society. Chamfort's writings often reflect the tumultuous political landscape of pre-Revolutionary France, making him a key voice in the exploration of Enlightenment thought.