The Confessions is an autobiographical book by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In modern times, it is often published with the title The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in order to distinguish it from Saint Augustine’s Confessions. Covering the first fifty-three years of Rousseau`s life, up to 1765, it was completed in 1769, but not published until 1782, four years after Rousseau`s death, even though Rousseau did read excerpts of his manuscript publicly at various salons and other meeting places.