Denis Diderot (1713 - 1784) was a French philosopher and writer. Notable during the Enlightenment, he is known for being the co-founder, editor-in-chief, and contributor to the Encyclopédie, along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. However, one of his most remarkable and provocative works was The Nun. In 1760, Denis Diderot and his friends wrote a series of letters to the Marquis de Croismare. The letters pretended to be from Suzanne Simonin, an illegitimate daughter forced to take religious vows to atone for her mother's guilt. Having escaped the convent, she apparently sought the marquis's help in annulling the vows. In her letters, the nun narrates the details of her forced confinement, describing its effect on her understanding of religion and faith. The novel's reputation as a succès de scandale is largely due to the frank and explicit depiction of the prevalent cruelty in monastic institutions and the narrator's discovery of both eroticism and spirituality. The work once again stirred public opinion when, in 1966, Jacques Rivette's film adaptation was banned for two years. The Nun, deservedly, is part of the famous collection: 1001 Books to Read Before You Die.
