Voltaire's junior contemporary Jean-Jacques Rousseau commented on how Voltaire's book "Letters on the English" played a great role in his intellectual development. Having written some literary works and also some music, in December 1745 Rousseau wrote a letter introducing himself to Voltaire, who was by then the most prominent literary figure in France, to which Voltaire replied with a polite response. Subsequently, when Rousseau sent Voltaire a copy of his book "Discourse on Inequality", Voltaire replied, noting his disagreement with the views expressed in the book: