Voltaire: - Voltaire (1694-1778) is one of the greatest French writers of all time. His wide-ranging body of work includes plays, letters, essays, novellas, poems, and treatises that champion freedom of speech, freedom of religion, separation of church and state, and respect for the rights of man. Using wit and satire, Voltaire crusaded against all forms of tyranny, bigotry, and cruelty. A major figure of the Enlightenment, he is credited with influencing the shape of European civilization.

Klee, Paul: - Paul Klee (1879-1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism.

Frame, Donald M.: - Donald M. Frame (1911-1991) was a scholar of French Renaissance literature and the Moore Professor Emeritus of French at Columbia University. He was a recognized authority on the work of Michel de Montaigne (Harold Bloom called Frame "the best modern Montaigne scholar"), as well as a respected translator of Rabelais and Moliere, among others.