Voltaire Foundation

The Voltaire Foundation is a research department of the University of Oxford, housed within the Humanities Division. It was established by Theodore Besterman in the 1970s to continue his lifelong work on Voltaire. The foundation occupies a room in the Taylor Institution, which serves as the university’s centre for modern languages. Besterman began collecting and transcribing Voltaire’s writings in the 1950s, later donating his collection to Oxford. His efforts led to the creation of the Voltaire Room in 1975, where the foundation’s archives are kept. The foundation’s most significant achievement is the Complete Works of Voltaire, a critical edition completed in 2022 after fifty years of work. This monumental project consists of 205 volumes and was recognised with the Prix Hervé Deluen by the Académie Française. In addition, the foundation publishes Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment, a series that has released nearly 550 scholarly books since 1955. The series covers a wide range of disciplines, including history, philosophy, literature and the arts. Visitors to the foundation will find the Voltaire Room in the Taylor Institution, which displays Besterman’s collection alongside the institution’s own holdings. The foundation’s work supports ongoing research into the 18th century and its intellectual legacy. It remains a key resource for scholars studying Voltaire and the Enlightenment. The foundation is directed by Thomas Wynn as part of Oxford’s academic community.