The Life and Times of . . . Denis Diderot

Denis Diderot was born on October 5, 1713 in Langres, France, son of a renowned cutler. As a child he was meant for the Church, but did not end up there ultimately though he was educated by the Jesuits of Langres. As a young man he studied at several schools within Paris, and on September 2, 1732 earned a degree from the University of Paris pronouncing him a master of the arts. His following career was varied and at times dubious - not much is known about this period of his life, though it is to be assumed that he evolved religiously as he entered this time as a Roman Catholic and emerged atheist. If anything, he was a frequenter of Paris's coffeehouses, the site of his meeting with Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1741. Though he may have already undergone his change in ideas, Rousseau encouraged him on the path of philosophe.
In 1743 he married Antoinette Champion, to whom he was unhappily married for the rest of his life. Three children were born of this marriage, but only one survived, Angélique, who was named after his mother and sister. Due to the lack of common interests between Diderot and his wife, he later formed attachments with Madeleine de Puisieux and Sophie Volland respectively. 1745 saw the publication of his translation of Inquiry Concerning Virtue a pamphlet by the popular Earl of Shaftesbury. This helped to spread knowledge of his name and earn some money. A year later saw he put out his own Pensées philosophiques (which translates to Philosophic Thoughts), using the door opened by the translation.
Perhaps due to his success with the Earl's pamphlet, Diderot was asked in 1745 to take on a translation of a book called Cyclopaedia. He agreed, but soon altered the focus of the work, expanding it with the help of myriad philosophes of his time. Many of these, unknown before, went on to make their names using the success of the Encyclopedie. The first volume of this series was sent out in 1751, the last in 1772. Throughout this time, the work itself was greatly censored - certain volumes had to be sold through shady means (as far as book selling goes) and people private to the writing itself turned betrayer to remove polemical content. In 1750 Diderot himself was incarcerated for three months due to his article, Lettre sur les aveugles (An Essay on Blindness). It was largely important because it questioned the deistic idea that an organized universe with universal laws is proof of a god. Even though this prevented continued work on the Encyclopedie for a time, this did not by any means permanently hurt the work. Diderot also did not give up personal writings and persisted in expressing his thoughts, if much more carefully, with Lettre sur les sourds et muets (“Letter on the Deaf and Dumb”). He also wrote several fictional pieces (plays and prose), though they are less well known than his work as a philosopher and scientific thinker. This is not to say however, that Diderot did not fear retribution from the government in relation to any of his works - a prolific writer before, his name was much more scarce following his confinement.
After the final volume of the Encyclopedie was finished, Diderot's life as a writer spluttered and fell. Though he continued on small projects he no longer had any great works to contribute. In kindness, Catherine the Great of Russia purchased his library and gave him a (somewhat honorary) position as librarian with an annual salary that was much needed. He went in person to thank her for this charity in 1773. Diderot died on July 31, 1784 in Paris of coronary thrombosis. A favorite saying of his, one that he went into death with, was that, "the first step towards philosophy is disbelief."

Sources: Britannica, World Book, Gale