TheEconomistMarch26th 2022 Culture 85Montaigne’s“Essays”Body and soul
L
ikemanypeople,ashegrewolderMi-
chel de Montaigne paid close attention
to the workings of his body. He began to
feel the cold in his bones; his servants
brought him clothes at night “to warm my
feet and stomach”. He liked to sleep for
eight or nine hours, he tells his readers,
and avoided “violent activities” that “bring
on sweat”. He could not eat even two meals
a day without vomiting—but if he skipped
one, flatulence and a dry mouth ensued.
These are not the typical musings of a
renowned thinker, but Montaigne’s “Es-
says” are not typical works of philosophy.
In 1570, after sitting in Bordeaux’s parlia-
ment for 15 years, Montaigne retired to his
chateau (pictured). This self-imposed soli-
tude proved productive. He published two
volumes of the “Essays” in 1580 and a third
in 1588. In their pages he explores topics
ranging from friendship to architecture to
child-rearing. His prose weaves together
history, personal experience and argu-
ments from his favourite philosophers;
anecdotes about his napping schedule are
juxtaposed with maxims.
It was Montaigne who popularised the
essay genre. The name derives from the
French verb essayer, “to try”, and Mon-taigneviewedhischaptersasattemptsto
understanda topic.In“OfDrunkenness”,
for instance, heexamines philosophers’
viewsonbooze(SocratesandCatobothen-
joyed a tipple). German drinking habits of
the 16th century are mentioned several
times, as are the author’s own tastes. But he
never rules on whether drunkenness is
right or wrong. Rather, he lays out a range
of opinions and lets the reader decide.
Montaigne strove to see the world from
other perspectives. In one chapter he re-
counts various South American customs,
such as an unfamiliar drink (“it tastes a bit
sharp”) and faith in soothsayers. He knew
his European readers would find these
habits puzzling, so, by way of balance, he
delves into the “strangeness” of French
society. He recalls a meeting with some
South American tribesmen who, on visit-
ing Rouen in the 1560s, asked why, in
Charles IX, the French had a king who was
ten years old.
The writer admits that his “Essays” are a
personal undertaking rather than an au-
thoritative, objective study. “Reader,” he
confides, “I myself am the subject of my
book.” The immediate context included
the Wars of Religion that had engulfed
France. Conflict between Protestants and
Catholics ravaged Bordeaux—the philoso-
pher’s siblings were on opposing sides—
yet he resisted polarisation. For his time,
Montaigne’s determination to consider
other viewpoints was unusual. It still is.
The “Essays” document a changeable
mind as well as a changing body. After the
first editions were published, Montaigne
edited them extensively, often adding
entire paragraphs—which sometimes
completely contradicted his original
points. He read more books of philosophy,
his opinions evolving with each. He con-
templated his own mortality, which re-
shaped his outlook too. The “Essays” are
the product of a questingintellect, which
rejected dogma in favour of something
more nuanced and original. nA French philosopher offers a lesson in
seeing other points of viewhome
entertainmentTheSassoonbusinessdynastyGhosts of the East
B
eyond the crumbling fish dock in
Mumbai or on Shanghai’s Bund, few
know of the Sassoons. Yet theirs was a fa-
bled merchant empire that could once
have claimed to be the first truly globe-
spanning multinational. In the mid-19th
century they were Asia’s most powerful
business dynasty. Their decline is a warn-
ing to tycoons who dream of descendants
perpetuating their eminence and riches.
The story begins with David Sassoon.
His family were pillars of a Jewish commu-
nity in Baghdad that dated to the Babylo-
nian captivity. David, like his forebears,
was treasurer to the Mamluk rulers of the
province. Exactly why he fled from Dawad
Pasha, a cruel potentate, is unclear; but as
his grandson, Edward Sassoon, recounted,
“certain it is that the place got too hot for
him.” David arrived in Bombay in 1832.
The fact that Edward was an mpin Ed-
wardian England hints at the family’s
remarkable trajectory. Bombay was the
springboard. The Industrial Revolution
was in full stride, and the city epitomised a
very British marriage of commerce and
empire—like much of India, it was run by
the East India Company. By the racist stan-
dards of the day, Bombay society was toler-
ant. Enterprising types were welcome,
regardless of origins. The family of Jam-
setji Tata, India’s first industrialist, was
soon on warm terms with the Sassoons.
No one doubted David’s probity. Along
with a canny but cautious business sense,
he was notable for his philanthropy, in-
cluding the unfashionable activity of edu-
cating girls. But his strongest ties were
with his family. He had eight sons and six
daughters by two marriages. In time the
sons were sent to run business outposts
that stretched from Yokohama to London,
via the coast of China, Calcutta and Cairo.
Letters were the family glue, written in
the Baghdadi-Jewish dialect. The author of
“The Global Merchants” is not a direct de-
scendant of these Sassoons, despite his
surname. But he does read the dialect, hav-
ing himself been born in Baghdad. He
brings out both David’s care for his chil-
dren and his strictness: he expected at least
a letter a week from each remote emissary.
The family rode the empire’s cresting
wave. One war in particular turbocharged
the Sassoon fortunes, when Britain forced
Indian opium on China in 1839. The Sas-The Global Merchants. By Joseph Sassoon.
Allen Lane; 412 pages; £30