Candide is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimism that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan. Fast, funny, often outrageous, the French philosopher's immortal narrative takes Candide around the world to discover that -- contrary to the teachings of his distinguished tutor Dr. Pangloss -- all is not always for the best. Alive with wit, brilliance, and graceful storytelling, Candide has become Voltaire's most celebrated work.

Candide

Candide is about a man who believes in the philosophy that: "what happens, happens for the best in the end." that was taught to him by his personal philosopher Dr. Panlosss. Candide goes through many, many trials and everyone he meets has had something terrible happen to them. He searches the world over for his love Cundgonde. And in the end finds that the simplest things in life: love, friends, and health are all that matters.

Candide (L'Oeuvre au clair)

Candide oder der Optimismus

Candido, o el optimismo

Candide, ou, l'Optimisme

Candide ou L'optimisme

Candide: Ou l'Optimisme

Candide ou l'optimisme

Candido o el Optimismo

The Focus Student Editions are designed for French language courses in literature and culture. Prepared with non-native French speakers in mind, these editions include an introduction (in French), the complete work, and linguistic and cultural notes in French, a current bibliography and study questions.Candide, Voltaire's picaresque 1759 novel and masterpiece of French satire, follows a naïve young man on his disillusioning journey through life.  Candide's fantastical adventures incorporate many actual historical events, such as the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and the Seven Years' War, as Voltaire parodies religion, governments, the military, philosophers,  and the philosophy of good and evil.

Candide ou l'Optimisme

Political satire doesn't age well, but occasionally a diatribe contains enough art & universal mirth to survive long after its timeliness has passed. Candide is such a book. Penned by that Renaissance man of the Enlightenment, Voltaire, Candide is steeped in the political & philosophical controversies of the 1750s. But for the general reader, the novel's driving principle is clear enough: the idea (endemic in the day) we live in the best of all possible worlds, & apparent folly, misery & strife are actually harbingers of a greater good we cannot perceive, is hogwash. Telling the tale of the good-natured but star-crossed Candide (Mr. Magoo armed with deadly force), as he travels the world struggling to be reunited with his love, Lady Cunegonde, the novel smashes such ill-conceived optimism to splinters. Candide's tutor, Dr. Pangloss, is steadfast in his philosophical good cheer, in the face of more & more fantastic misfortune; Candide's other companions always supply good sense in the nick of time. Still, as he demolishes optimism, Voltaire pays tribute to human resilience. In so doing he gives the book a pleasant indomitability common to farce. Says one character, a princess turned one-buttocked hag by unkind Fate: "I have wanted to kill myself a hundred times, but somehow I am still in love with life. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps one of our most melancholy propensities; for is there anything more stupid than to be eager to go on carrying a burden which one would gladly throw away, to loathe one's very being & yet to hold it fast, to fondle the snake that devours us until it has eaten our hearts away?"--Michael Gerber

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