«Sire, ich eile ...»: Voltaire bei Friedrich II. is a novella but it is written in a very factual style, often given me the feeling that I was reading an essay or an historical account.

The novella has two intersecting story lines. The first describes the illicit love relationship between Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet. Émilie was the wife of Marquis Florent-Claude du Châstellet-Lomont, but could not get along with a man she considered dull, formal, and cold. The other story line describes the friendship between Voltaire and the German King Frederik the Great.

The novella explores and contrasts several ideals of the enlightenment. Voltaire is shown as a man who needs freedom, and does not want to be tied down by convention. Émilie du Châtelet was caught up in an arranged marriage to a man she did not like, and as an intelligent women was much attracted to Voltaire, and theirs is the story of their adulterous love.

In their friendship, Frederik the Great is first shown as an enlightened young man, pursuing and embracing new ideals, but as he assumed the role of King he is increasingly portrayed as a possessive and demanding despot, leaving the reader to wonder whether power corrupts or the youthful ideals were merely a fad. ( )