François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire (21 November 1694 – 30 May 1778), known by the pen name Voltaire, is a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, freedom of expression, free trade and separation of church and state.

Voltaire is a prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poetry, novels, essays, and historical and scientific works.

He writes more than 20,000 letters and more than 2,000 books and pamphlets.

He is an outspoken supporter of social reform, despite strict censorship laws with harsh penalties for those who break them.

As a satirical polemicist, he frequently makes use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma and the French institutions of his day.

Voltaire is one of several Enlightenment figures (along with Montesquieu, John Locke, Richard Price, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Émilie du Châtelet) whose works and ideas influence important thinkers of both the American and French Revolutions.