Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens (June 24, 1704, Aix-en-Provence
- January 11, 1771, Toulon
) was a French
philosopher and writer.
An arch-opponent of the Catholic Church, intolerance and religious oppression, he had to flee his native France and his books were frequently denounced by the Inquisition. He was a friend of Voltaire, Maupertuis, Euler, Formey, Maargraf, Charles-Louis de Beausobre, the Abbé de Prades, Casanova, Friedrich Nicolai and Moses Mendelssohn. In 1724 he accompanied the French ambassador on a journey to Constantinople, where he lived for a year. After an adventurous youth, he was disinherited by his father. He then settled for a time in Amsterdam
, where he wrote his famous Lettres juives
(The Hague, 6 vols, 1738-1742), Lettres chinoises (The Hague, 6 vols, 1739-1742), and Lettres cabalistiques (2nd ed., 7 vols, 1769); also the Mémoires secrets de la république des lettres (7 vols, 1743-1478), afterwards revised and augmented as Histoire de l'esprit humain (Berlin, 14 vols, 1765-1768). He also wrote six novels, the best known of which is Thérèse Philosophe
(1748).
He was invited by King Frederick II of Prussia [Frederick the Great] to his court where he spent the greater part of his career. He was appointed a Royal Chamberlain and Director of the Belles-Lettres section of the Academy. He married a Berlin
actress, Mlle Cochois and had one daughter. D'Argens returned to France in 1769, and died near Toulon on the 11th of January 1771.
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
- January 11, 1771, Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
) was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
philosopher and writer.
An arch-opponent of the Catholic Church, intolerance and religious oppression, he had to flee his native France and his books were frequently denounced by the Inquisition. He was a friend of Voltaire, Maupertuis, Euler, Formey, Maargraf, Charles-Louis de Beausobre, the Abbé de Prades, Casanova, Friedrich Nicolai and Moses Mendelssohn. In 1724 he accompanied the French ambassador on a journey to Constantinople, where he lived for a year. After an adventurous youth, he was disinherited by his father. He then settled for a time in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, where he wrote his famous Lettres juives
Jewish Spy (novel)
Lettres juives or The Jewish Spy is an epistolary novel attributed to Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens. It "purports to be a translation of the correspondence between five distinguished rabbis who reside in different cities. .....
(The Hague, 6 vols, 1738-1742), Lettres chinoises (The Hague, 6 vols, 1739-1742), and Lettres cabalistiques (2nd ed., 7 vols, 1769); also the Mémoires secrets de la république des lettres (7 vols, 1743-1478), afterwards revised and augmented as Histoire de l'esprit humain (Berlin, 14 vols, 1765-1768). He also wrote six novels, the best known of which is Thérèse Philosophe
Thérèse Philosophe
Thérèse Philosophe is a 1748 French novel ascribed to Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens. It has been chiefly regarded as a pornographic novel, which accounts for its massive sales in 18th-century France...
(1748).
He was invited by King Frederick II of Prussia [Frederick the Great] to his court where he spent the greater part of his career. He was appointed a Royal Chamberlain and Director of the Belles-Lettres section of the Academy. He married a Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
actress, Mlle Cochois and had one daughter. D'Argens returned to France in 1769, and died near Toulon on the 11th of January 1771.