In the 16th century, Michel de Montaigne invented the modern art of the essay—the discursive, questioning, personal investigation of an issue, a feeling, a philosophical given, or an orthodox dogma. When he retired from public life in Bordeaux at 39, he assembled an extensive library in this tower near Castillon, inscribed his favorite Greek and Latin quotations in the rafters, and wrote for the next 20 years. Clearly, Aquitaine has always been a good place for working writers.

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