Rameau's Nephew, or the Second Satire is an imaginary philosophical conversation by Denis Diderot, written predominantly in 1761–62 and revised in 1773–74.It was first published in 1805 in German translation by Goethe, but the French manuscript used had subsequently disappeared. The German version was translated back into French by de Saur and Saint-Geniès and published in 1821. The first published version based on French manuscript appeared in 1823 in the Brière edition of Diderot's works. Modern editions are based on the complete manuscript in Diderot's own hand found by Georges Monval, the librarian at the Comédie-Française in 1890, while buying music scores from a second-hand bookshop in Paris. Monval published his edition of the manuscript in 1891. Subsequently, the manuscript was bought by the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. It is unclear why Diderot never had it published in his time. Given the satirical tone of the work, it has been suggested that the author prudently refrained from giving offence.
Denis Diderot book Rameau's Nephew
Je m’entretiens avec moi-même de politique, d’amour, de goût ou de philosophie ; j’abandonne mon esprit à tout son libertinage ; je le laisse maître de suivre la première idée sage ou folle qui se présente … Mes pensées ce sont mes catins.
Variant translations:
My ideas are my whores.
My thoughts are my trollops.
Rameau's Nephew (1762)
“Gratitude is a burden, and every burden is made to be shaken off.”
Denis Diderot book Rameau's Nephew
La reconnaissance est un fardeau, et tout fardeau est fait pour être secoué.
Rameau's Nephew (1762)
“People praise virtue, but they hate it, they run away from it.”
Denis Diderot book Rameau's Nephew
Rameau's Nephew (1762)
Context: People praise virtue, but they hate it, they run away from it. It freezes you to death, and in this world you've got to keep your feet warm.
