Montaigne and Melancholy - The Wisdom of the Essays (Paperback, New ed)

Montaigne (1533-1592), the personification of philosophical calm, had to struggle to become the wise Renaissance humanist we know. His balanced temperament, sangiune and melancholic, promised genius but threatened madness. When he started his "Essays", Montaigne was upset by an attack of melancholy humour: he became temperamental and unbalanced. Writing about himself restored the balance but broke an age-old taboo - happily so, for he discovered profound truths about himself and about our human condition. This book provides a literary companion to his "Essays".