{"product_id":"becoming-montaigne-john-levesque-9798270540951","title":"Becoming Montaigne: And Other Dangerous Pastimes \/ Philosophical Humour \/ Leacock Medal-winning Author \/ Essays on Human Nature","description":"\"In those inevitable moments of doubt, when the hounds of second thought run down a writer's confidence in the merits of a project, I ask myself: Why would I want to chronicle the internal journey of a man as emphatically dead and white as Michel de Montaigne? Can I not see that my own profile as the author is a literary black hole of age, masculinity and colourlessness from which not even punctuation can escape?\"\u003cbr\u003eThat's how John Levesque describes the challenge facing him in \u003ci\u003eBecoming Montaigne\u003c\/i\u003e. A winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Levesque brings all his powers of cheerful doubt to the task of chronicling the 107 steps to patience of Michel de Montaigne, a sixteenth century gentleman philosopher. Levesque uses Montaigne's writings as a mirror to reflect what Montaigne calls \"the comedy of our existence in the world.\"\u003cbr\u003eThe book intersperses newly translated passages from Montaigne's essays with Levesque's examination of the issues they raise. Topics include prophecy, chance, sadness, fear, education, moderation, the discovery of the Americas, imagination, lying, vanity, solitude, inequality, strange habits, marriage, sex, sleep, smells, prayers, awards, death, glory, friendship, love, malingering, cruelty, repentance, social manners and the disadvantages of high rank.\u003cbr\u003eJohn Levesque is the author of three novels, \u003ci\u003eRosseter's Memory, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eSometime Soon\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eGeneva Farewell\u003c\/i\u003e, and two collections of humour, \u003ci\u003eWaiting for Aquarius\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eStranded on the Information Highway\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eWaiting for Aquarius\u003c\/i\u003e won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. \u003ci\u003eSometime Soon\u003c\/i\u003e won the Hamilton Arts Council Award for fiction. \u003ci\u003eGeneva Farewell\u003c\/i\u003e was published in 2020 and acclaimed by Joseph Kertes as \"a brilliant, beautiful book.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John Levesque\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798270540951\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/05\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 214\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.64lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.49d","brand":"John Levesque","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48874505830655,"sku":"9798270540951","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/becoming-montaigne-john-levesque-9798270540951","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}