Voltaire Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his "nom de plume" Voltaire (; ), was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit, his criticism of Christianity, especially the Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state. Voltaire was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays and historical and scientific works. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and more than 2,000 books and pamphlets. He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties, despite
Marie Waife She married the writer and journalist Benjamin Waife (known by his pen name Ben-Zion Goldberg) in 1917 and had two sons, Sholom and Mitchell. In 1968, Waife published a biography of her father titled "My Father, Sholem Aleichem", the first complete biography of the famous writer. She was known for holding meetings at her New York residence on the anniversary of Aleichem's death to read his works. Waife died in 1985 and was survived by her sons. Marie Waife Marie Waife ("née" Marusi Solomonovna Rabinovich; October 29, 1892 – November 30, 1985) was an American writer best known for writing