Does anyone know how Francois Marie Arouet chose the nickname "Voltaire"?

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Does anyone know how Francois Marie Arouet chose the nickname "Voltaire"?

Is it a famous French name, or a pun? Does it have any meaning besides his pen name?

2007-03-15 07:20:02 · 2 answers · asked by Katherine 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors

2 answers

It was his hometown in southern France.

2007-03-15 07:28:47 · answer #1 · answered by verbalise 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋

It was an abbreviation of a childish nickname, "le petit volontaire", which in English translates as "determined little thing". No mention of who gave him this nickname.

2007-03-15 14:34:49 · answer #2 · answered by donanana 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋