Michel de Montaigne (February 28, 1533-September 13, 1592) was a writer and prominent philosopher during the French Renaissance. His relaxed conversational style and ability to mix intellectual exercises with informal anecdotes is still imitated. Considered to be the father of the personal essay, Montaigne wrote 107 essays over the course of his life. Montaigne's famous work Essais, a collection of short works, contains many of the most significant essays ever written. He is most famous for constantly making himself the center of his essays.