Francois-Marie Arouet De Voltaire was born in France in 1694.  Though he grew up in Paris, taught at a Jesuit school, and educated in law, he soon knew that he wanted to be a writer, particularly a satirical one.  He soon adopted the pen name Voltaire, as he developed a continental reputation for being a ruthless critic of many aspects of society.  On several occasions his brash writing seemed to cross with the government, which went so far as to put him in jail from time to time.  Later, he was exiled for a period of several years.  Voltaire died in 1778, after returning to Paris as a very old man and a champion of the people.