{"product_id":"diderot-and-the-art-of-thinking-freely","title":"Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely","description":"Best Book of the Year – Kirkus Reviews\n\nA spirited biography of the prophetic and sympathetic philosopher who helped build the foundations of the modern world.\n\nDenis Diderot is often associated with the decades-long battle to bring the world’s first comprehensive Encyclopédie into existence. But his most daring writing took place in the shadows. Thrown into prison for his atheism in 1749, Diderot decided to reserve his best books for posterity–for us, in fact. In the astonishing cache of unpublished writings left behind after his death, Diderot challenged virtually all of his century's accepted truths, from the sanctity of monarchy, to the racial justification of the slave trade, to the norms of human sexuality. One of Diderot’s most attentive readers during his lifetime was Catherine the Great, who not only supported him financially, but invited him to St. Petersburg to talk about the possibility of democratizing the Russian empire.\n\nIn this thematically organized biography, Andrew S. Curran vividly describes Diderot’s tormented relationship with Rousseau, his curious correspondence with Voltaire, his passionate affairs, and his often iconoclastic stands on art, theater, morality, politics, and religion. But what this book brings out most brilliantly is how the writer's personal turmoil was an essential part of his genius and his ability to flout taboos, dogma, and convention.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 1590516702\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: 4EKTGN000SZ9_ns\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Curran, Andrew S.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly!  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dream Books Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41720636801082,"sku":"4EKTGN000SZ9_ns","price":8.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/6011\/0138\/files\/1590516702-0.jpg?v=1791092815","url":"https:\/\/shop.dreambooksco.com\/products\/diderot-and-the-art-of-thinking-freely","provider":"Dream Books Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}