Writers in Paris
The atlas holds 73 people and 283 moments here, from 1245 to 2009. The most recorded lives are Sarah Bernhardt, Jean-Paul Sartre and Victor Hugo.
Notable people
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
in 1827
1 moment here
German philosopher and a central figure of German idealism. His documented movements include formative study in Stuttgart and Tübingen; tutoring…
Giordano Bruno
from 1581 to 1586
3 moments here
Italian Renaissance philosopher, Dominican friar, writer, and cosmological theorist. Born at Nola, Bruno studied and lived in Italy, Switzerland,…
Giuseppe Verdi
from 1847 to 1875
6 moments here
Italian composer whose career transformed nineteenth-century opera. Born near Busseto, Verdi studied and worked in Busseto and Milan, then traveled…
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
from 1672 to 1676
3 moments here
German polymath, philosopher, mathematician, jurist, diplomat, court councillor, historian, and librarian.…
Hans Christian Andersen
from 1833 to 1863
3 moments here
Danish writer renowned for literary fairy tales including “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Snow Queen,” and “The Ugly…
Helen Keller
from 1931 to 1952
2 moments here
Helen Adams Keller was an American deafblind author, lecturer, disability-rights advocate, and political activist.…
Honoré de Balzac
from 1813 to 1850
10 moments here
French novelist and playwright, born in Tours and dead in Paris. Balzac created La Comédie humaine, an interlinked fictional panorama of…
Indira Gandhi
in 1966
1 moment here
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was an Indian stateswoman who served as prime minister from 1966 to 1977 and from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.…
James Joyce
from 1902 to 1931
4 moments here
Irish novelist, poet, and critic whose life moved between Dublin, continental Europe, and Switzerland.…
Jawaharlal Nehru
in 1948
1 moment here
Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and statesman who became independent India’s first prime minister, serving from 15 August 1947 until his…
Jean de La Fontaine
from 1635 to 1695
8 moments here
French fabulist, poet, dramatist, and author whose Fables became foundational works of French literature.…
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
from 1742 to 1776
7 moments here
Genevan philosopher, writer, composer, and a major figure of the European Enlightenment. Rousseau’s documented movements ranged across Geneva, Savoy,…
Jean-Paul Sartre
from 1905 to 1980
11 moments here
French philosopher, writer, and political activist associated with existentialism. His documented movements include education and teaching across…
John Adams
in 1783
1 moment here
American lawyer, revolutionary leader, diplomat, first vice president of the United States, and second U.S. president.…
John Calvin
from 1531 to 1536
3 moments here
French Protestant reformer, pastor, and author. Born in Noyon, he studied law in Bourges and spent formative periods in Paris and Basel before moving…
John F. Kennedy
from 1951 to 1961
2 moments here
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was an American naval officer, journalist, congressman, senator, and the 35th president of the United States.…
John Locke
from 1675 to 1678
4 moments here
English philosopher, physician, and political writer. Locke was born in Somerset, educated in London and Oxford, served Lord Shaftesbury in London,…
John Milton
from 1638 to 1639
2 moments here
English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. This chronology follows documented residences, education, continental travel, marriages, public service,…
Jorge Luis Borges
from 1914 to 1984
2 moments here
Argentine writer, poet, essayist, translator, lecturer, librarian, and critic. Borges was born in Buenos Aires, lived in Switzerland and Spain during…
J. R. R. Tolkien
in 1913
1 moment here
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English philologist, university professor, and author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.…
Jules Verne
from 1847 to 1864
4 moments here
French novelist, playwright, and poet whose documented life included residences and work in Nantes, Paris, Amiens, Auteuil, and Le Crotoy, together…
Karl Marx
from 1843 to 1882
7 moments here
German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. Born in Trier, Marx studied in Bonn and Berlin, worked in Cologne, and…
Le Corbusier
from 1908 to 1964
6 moments here
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, known as Le Corbusier, was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, painter, writer, and urban planner.…
Leo Tolstoy
in 1857
1 moment here
Russian novelist, essayist, educator, religious thinker, and social critic. Born at Yasnaya Polyana, Tolstoy studied in Kazan, served in the Caucasus…
Moments
- 1673 Final performance of Le Malade imaginaire Molière
- 1673 Returns to Paris from London Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- 1675 Arrival in Paris on French journey John Locke
- 1676 Leaves Paris for Hanover service Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- 1677 Arrival in Paris as tutor John Locke
- 1678 Departure from Paris toward Rome John Locke
- 1678 Return to Paris after abandoned Rome journey John Locke
- 1684 Reception into the Académie française Jean de La Fontaine
- 1693 Moved in with the d'Hervart family Jean de La Fontaine
- 1694 Born in Paris Voltaire
- 1695 Death at the Hôtel d'Hervart Jean de La Fontaine
- 1704 Studies at Louis-le-Grand Voltaire
- 1709 Scholarly residence in Paris Montesquieu
- 1717 First Bastille imprisonment Voltaire
- 1726 Second Bastille imprisonment Voltaire
- 1726 Move to Paris after sale of office Montesquieu
- 1727 Letter from Paris Montesquieu
- 1728 Departure for Vienna Montesquieu
- 1734 Residence in Paris while preparing later work Montesquieu
- 1739 Letter from Paris to Niccolini Montesquieu
- 1742 Presentation to the Académie des Sciences Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- 1744 Visits Paris and begins relationship with Denis Voltaire
- 1745 Return to Paris and relationship with Thérèse Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- 1749 Visits to Diderot at Vincennes Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- 1749 Returns briefly to Paris after du Châtelet’s death Voltaire
- 1754 Final visit to Paris Montesquieu
- 1755 Death in Paris Montesquieu
- 1759 Residence at Château de Montmorency Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- 1764 First arrival in Paris Adam Smith
- 1765 Paris stay with the Prince of Conti Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- 1766 Second Paris residence and intellectual meetings Adam Smith
- 1767 Visit to Paris Benjamin Franklin
- 1770 Final Paris residence on Rue Platrière Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- 1776 Carriage accident in Paris Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- 1776 American commissioner in Passy Benjamin Franklin
- 1778 Treaties with France Benjamin Franklin
- 1778 Returns to Paris after twenty-five years Voltaire
- 1778 Attends a performance of Irène Voltaire
- 1778 Initiated at Les Neuf Sœurs Voltaire
- 1778 Dies in Paris Voltaire
- 1783 Hydrogen-balloon flight witness Benjamin Franklin
- 1783 Signed Treaty of Paris John Adams
- 1783 Manned balloon launch Benjamin Franklin
- 1784 Meeting with Mirabeau Benjamin Franklin
- 1784 Arrival as diplomat in Paris Thomas Jefferson
- 1789 Present in Paris during Bastille storming Thomas Jefferson
- 1813 Paris boarding school Honoré de Balzac
- 1813 Arrival in Paris with Davy Michael Faraday
- 1814 Family relocation to Paris Honoré de Balzac
- 1816 Law faculty and legal clerkship Honoré de Balzac