Social satire about a young man who believes, despite much evidence to the contrary, that "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds".
Candide
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Political satire doesn't age well, but occasionally a diatribe contains enough art and 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 and philosophical controversies of the 1750s. But for the general reader, the novel's driving principle is clear enough: the idea (endemic in Voltaire's day) that we live in the best of all possible worlds, and apparent folly, misery and strife are actually harbingers of a greater good we cannot perceive, is hogwash.
Telling the tale of the good-natured but star-crossed Candide (think 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 and 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, and in doing so 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 and 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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“When we observe such things as the recrudescence of fundamentalism in the United States, the horrors of religious fanaticism in the Middle East, the appalling danger which the stubbornness of political intolerance presents to the whole world, we must surely conclude that we can still profit by the example of lucidity, the acumen, the intellectual honesty and the moral courage of Voltaire.”
—A. J. Ayer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
—A. J. Ayer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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THERE lived in Westphalia, at the country seat of Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh, a young lad blessed by nature with the most agreeable manners. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
THERE lived in Westphalia, at the country seat of Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh, a young lad blessed by nature with the most agreeable manners. Read the first page
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Sam
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Candide (optimism), first published in 1759, has a lot to do with destiny, and how everything in preordained. Thus, whatever you do to try to change your life, you cannot possibly change it. If you are meant to meet a specific person, no matter what the situation is, you will run into them.
This satire is the most unique story I have ever read; I did not know such stories even existed. The protagonist, Candide, is very optimistic, and believes that everything that happens is for the best. Candide is a classic and should be read by everyone; it is very short and can be completed within a few hours.
Read this Bantam Classics's translation of Candide, which I found to be very good.
This satire is the most unique story I have ever read; I did not know such stories even existed. The protagonist, Candide, is very optimistic, and believes that everything that happens is for the best. Candide is a classic and should be read by everyone; it is very short and can be completed within a few hours.
Read this Bantam Classics's translation of Candide, which I found to be very good.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
In response to the person who complained about the English translation of Candide featured in this book, I wish to point out a few things. Firstly, the French of the original version by Voltaire cannot be considered as 'modern,' even though it is perfectly understandable to the modern reader. There are a few archaic touches here and there, sometimes because the language has evolved, sometimes because Voltaire intended it so (e.g. the title of the first chapter, "et comment il fut chassé d'icelui" > "and how he was driven thence", or something like that, was archaic even for Voltaire). I find the English translation fairly accurate in that respect. This is the opinion of a native French speaker, though.
Secondly, and consequently, the use of 'thou' in the translation is understandable. This is not the 'clerical' thou as can still be read in the English Bible and other 'flavoured' translations, but the older 'thou', which had become in Late Middle English the familiar, even contemptuous form of the deferential pronoun 'ye' (originally exclusively plural). The 'clerical' thou is a relatively modern device used in certain type of writings to convey an archaic language, but it is really an 'invention.' Therefore, the use of 'thou' in Candide, where the French has the familiar form 'tu,' is acceptable ; but it certainly can be misleading to the modern reader.
That is not to say this is the perfect translation -- such a thing does not exist. Where Voltaire uses understatement to great comic effect I find the translator usually too emphatic. Also the French version is much more vulgar in places. I suppose this translation is quite old ; there are others, but I did not read them.
To those considering purchasing or reading this book: do so, by all means. Candide is a thought-provoking, entertaining and humorous tale for readers of various tastes. It is a classic.
By Sean K.
Format:Paperback
The style of exposition used in this book is reminiscent of The Misfortunes of Virtue by the Marquis de Sade. Voltaire presents a catalog of calamities meant to debunk the belief that our world is perfect, and that everything happens "for the best" according to some divine plan. While there is no doubt that Candide is persuasive in its comical misadventures, the style gets old just as it did in The Misfortunes of Virtue. The story becomes a trite joke that loses its potency with each subsequent catastrophe, so that half way through the novel the reader no longer cares what befalls Candide and begins to pray that some benevolent deity will put him out of his (and our) misery. If I were not so thoroughly desensitized to tragedy, and had I not already come to the philosophical conclusions that Voltaire is trying to lead his reader, than I might have found the novel to be more profound. Still the novel is well written, reads quickly if you ignore the endnotes*, and is fairly entertaining.
The worst part of this novel is the numerous jabs that Voltaire throws at his contemporary rivals, which I found to be completely annoying. If the author chooses to use his novel as a means of disseminating propaganda against his opponents so be it, but don't expect it to translate well into a time when you and all those other characters are long since dead. Attacking ridiculous ideas is one thing, but forcing the reader (ME) to endure century old grudges through less than subtle personal attacks is something entirely different. Even after reading the "titillating tidbits" supplied by the annotator -- e.g. "The Journal de Trevoux, founded in 1701, was a Jesuit periodical hostile to Voltaire" or "Gabriel Gauchat, a contemporary critic hostile to Voltaire and the Encyclopedists" -- I still have no clue what or who Voltaire is attacking.
* Every time I was compelled to read an endnote just to find out that Voltaire was referencing some long forgotten Frenchmen I wanted to fling the book across the room.
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4.3 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Edutainment, 18th century style
Candide is a short satirical work that questions if this world is indeed the best of all possible worlds, as 'Liebniz's disciples' believed. Read more
Published on May 21 2004 by MrSherlockHolmes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally A Book That Mirrors My Own Thoughts On The World
I had some hesitation about reading Candide but I found that this book has mirrored my own thoughts on how life is. Read more
Published on May 20 2004 by DJ_Bitter
4.0 out of 5 stars
One-note concerto
I loved this book the first time I read it in college. But after re-reading it, I've concluded that while Voltaire has a lot going on in this story, there is a simple formula... Read more
Published on May 11 2004 by Luis M. Luque
2.0 out of 5 stars
Even Proust isn�t this french.
This is a french book. French books are, of course, often french, but this one is frencher than most. Ah, Pierrot! Reading this fine french book makes me the sad clown of life. Read more
Published on Mar 28 2004 by Loudon Is A Fool
4.0 out of 5 stars
Candide--A classic worth reading
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Voltaire's Candide. Voltaire's use of satire and irony creates timeless humor that can be appreciated by many readers. Read more
Published on Feb 22 2004 by Elizabeth Kirkwood
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Comic Masterpiece -- read it to laugh!
Candide, which is subtitled Optimism, was written in 1759, and is proof that a sharp wit and biting satire was just as much appreciated in Voltaire's time, as it is today. Read more
Published on Jan 10 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Father of the Enlightenment
Voltaire's Candide is Perhaps the best satire ever written. It was the silly blind optimism and indifferent response to human suffering and injustice of his era that Voltaire... Read more
Published on Dec 23 2003 by AJ
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless magnificence
Indubitably one of the most prodigious philosophical luminaries ever, Voltaire amazingly, although not surpisingly, continues to resonate to new generations even today. Read more
Published on Dec 10 2003 by Chris Salzer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny as the day it was written
This in some respects is a strange book. It is basically an attack by Voltaire on the philosophy of Leibnitz. Leibnitz was a philosopher who had pondered on the question of evil. Read more
Published on Aug 11 2003 by Tom Munro
5.0 out of 5 stars
Leibniz not distilled
CANDIDE is Voltaire's wittiest novel. Voltaire knew suffering. He had been imprisoned in the Bastille. He meditated on calamities, earthquakes in Lisbon and in Lima. Read more
Published on Aug 4 2003 by Mary E. Sibley
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