In addition to my short (well shortish) stories, I have for several years been working on a novel. The novel is set in eightieth century France and features a number of historical figures, the most significant being Voltaire and Emilie, Marquise du Chatelet.
The more famous of the two, Voltaire, was a writer and philosopher and one of the key figures of the French Enlightenment. An outspoken anti-establishment figure - few of his works escaped the censor's ire - he wanted few things more than to be accepted by the same establishment he criticised. He became independently wealthy after rigging the French national lottery.
Emilie du Chatelet is less well-known, even in her native France. I first encountered her in a TV documentary that I strayed onto while channel-hopping and she has fascinated me ever since. A mathematician, physicist, writer and, if certain sources are to be believed, swordswoman, Emilie's contribution to scientific advancement both in France and across Europe cannot be ignored. The academy she established at Cirey allowed the great minds of the age to meet and share ideas free of the political and patriotic posturing that tainted the official academies of London, Paris and Berlin.
The link below is to the very first story I ever wrote for this pair, a story based, albeit loosely, on an actual event that occurred in mid-eighteenth century Paris...
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