Complete works of Voltaire, t. 146: Poems attributed to Voltaire
Critical edition by Simon Davies,
with the participation of Helder Mendes Baiao, Georges Pilard and Martin Smith
Oxford, Voltaire Foundation, 2021
ISBN 978-0-7294-1179-0, hardcover, xxvi + 618p., 5 ill., £ 140.00
The fame of Voltaire has made him attribute many poems which do not appear in recognized editions of his works or his correspondence. The poems reflect a wide range of themes and registers, from social politeness or banter to history and flattery, from low-level eroticism to supposed religious conversion, to name a few examples.
Volume 146 of Complete Works collects some 170 pieces in verse. It can be said with sufficient confidence that about a third of the poems are by Voltaire; the others are open to doubt or are distinctly apocryphal, but all come under critical scrutiny as necessary to establish the boundaries of the comprehensive work of the most renowned French writer.
Blog post: “In the manner of Voltaire” – counterfeits and discoveries
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