At the beginning of 1736, Voltaire was at the height of his success, receiving praise from the public and fellow-poets alike. The breathtaking breadth of Voltaire's activity this year ranges from comedy, "L'Enfant Prodigue", and a major philosophical poem, "Le Mondain", to public and private verse, including one of his most arresting satires in "Le Crepinade", aimed at Jean-Baptiste Rousseau. Voltaire relished the diversity of his literary output, as he did the stimulation of his burgeoning scientific interests and lively correspondence. However, despite the popular acclaim, literary quarrels and lawsuits caused continuous tension, forcing Voltaire by the end of the year, to flee France and the 'persecution' his fame had brought him.

This volume brings together works substantially composed in the years 1723 - 1728, a period of bold experimentation for the thirty-year-old Voltaire. An established tragedian, he now branched out in a wholly new direction with his one-act comedy, "L'Indiscret", performed for the first time in August 1725. This is also the period in which, for the first time, Voltaire began to conceive substantial works in prose.