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    Candide
    Candide
    Candide
    Ebook128 pages2 hours

    Candide

    By Voltaire

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    A modern and beautifully redesigned version of the classic text. Voltaire's masterpiece, first published in 1759, tells the fictional tale of the unluckiest title character in the world, Candide, amidst lashings of sarcasm and insight. Written originally as a satire against the Leibnizian dogma that 'all is for the best', Candide has stood the test of time as a scathing, humorous and entertaining put down from one of history's wittiest philosophers. Written in a style which still resonates today, Candide is one of the finest examples of philosophy for a mainstream audience. Its cements Voltaire's place as one of the original masters of pop-philosophy.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOckham Publishing
    Release dateJun 29, 2022
    ISBN9781910780077
    Author

    Voltaire

    Voltaire was the pen name of François-Marie Arouet (1694–1778)a French philosopher and an author who was as prolific as he was influential. In books, pamphlets and plays, he startled, scandalized and inspired his age with savagely sharp satire that unsparingly attacked the most prominent institutions of his day, including royalty and the Roman Catholic Church. His fiery support of freedom of speech and religion, of the separation of church and state, and his intolerance for abuse of power can be seen as ahead of his time, but earned him repeated imprisonments and exile before they won him fame and adulation.

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    Reviews for Candide

    4/5

    135 ratings63 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Juvenal once said, "It is difficult not to write satire", meaning that even if he put ink to paper with different intentions, his worldview would press him on in one direction. He and Voltaire would have got along famously, I suspect.
    • 5/5
      How droll.
    • 4/5
      Great book. However, the Bantam Classic edition is only an ok translation. I got my copy for cheap. It tells the story but I'm sure there are other more scholarly translations I would choose if I were to read it again.
    • 5/5
      I have been trying to read more of the classics for years and when I saw the cover of "Candide" I knew that this was the next classic read for me. I laughed so much during this book. Often times the older books are very dry and proper that it is a bore to read. Voltaire told it how he saw it.
    • 4/5
      This was not at all what I thought it would be. The read was interesting, and heavy on the satire. The theme is easily understood and carried throughout the work, and it's a relatively quick read. Read this if you have a couple of hours to spare.
    • 5/5
      Hilarious! Ever since reading The Baroque Cycle (or at least the first two books and the first half of the third one) I've loved this historical period, and it's clear Stephenson wrote it with Candide in mind. It's silly, clever, and risqué, and you can read it in an afternoon.
    • 4/5
      The great master of satire. The thing I love about Voltaire is that he just honestly couldn't help himself. He was wealthy and liked, and he just couldn't stop from commenting in a not particularly nice way about the people and events of the day.
    • 3/5
      Classic modern fable exploring the once popular philosophy of 'everything now is exactly as it should be and for the best' with comedic results.
    • 5/5
      I read this book several times 1/2 way through, and I finally decided to read it in its entirety. It's a fantastic book and forces you to look at the philosophy presented in the book with a critical eye. It is especially helpful to read the notes at the end. My favorite: "Voltaire failed to appreciate the importance of Canada".
    • 4/5
      Voltaire - this is the first work I've read from him. I was thinking it was going to be heavily intellectual - and it had some deep themes, but they were at the same time, very obvious. Overall, the pleasant surprise was just how funny he is - I hadn't been aware.
    • 5/5
      One of the definitive pieces of satire in literature and it still holds up to this day. It never flinches in its attack on the human condition and like the somewhat lengthier "Gulliver's Travels," has no time for redemption or optimism. That's why I love it so.
    • 4/5
      Candide is such a great example of satire dashed with lyrical writing and fantastic characters. I re-read and re-read this, and actually lost my copy in my last move. You can bet I will order a new one. It's fun and campy without being maudlin.
    • 3/5
      Historically interesting satire against the set of France's enlightenment period. Main character is just what it says - candid. Great if you love philosophy.
    • 3/5
      Very important book, not necessarily a very good book.
    • 3/5
      This book would have been much easier to read as a contemporary to Voltaire, although far from impossible to enjoy. It can be funny, but the style is choppy and the story jumps from one disjointed plot twist to the next. A classic, but perhaps not for everyone.
    • 1/5
      A man with a naive philosophy faces a series of tragedies around the world.1/4 (Bad).It's all bitter, derisive "wit" that reads like a summary of a novel. I don't understand what any modern reader would get out of this.
    • 1/5
      I was disappointed by this book, which I had always heard described as "great literature." Instead, I thought Candide was mostly silly and fantastical. There was a deeper unlying theme having to do with the nature of the universe and whether to view the human condition within nature with optimism or pessimism, but the discussions regarding the foregoing, while cropping up often, were superfiscial.
    • 5/5
      Okay Okay. I am quoting it to myself all the time now, given what Bush has done to our once lovely and promising country. Sad to say, lots of dumb despotic Kings did it to lots of other countries for centuries in the past. And, we never learn. Definitely a good read to bring us back to reality and reinforce our responsibilities for today.
    • 3/5
      Voltaire's famous romp through his philosophy & grudges. Introduces the character Pangloss - the eternal optimist - "everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds".Read in Samoa Apr 2003
    • 2/5
      Reading it for school.Not too bad, considering it's a satire about an era we do not live in (even if I'd studied it, and the notes explain the more obscure mocked ones).Too many farcical moments, where he does not press a point, but hammer it into oblivion.
    • 4/5
      A portuguese translation of the famous text Candide, ou l'optimiste, by Voltaire. A really delightful and funny reading with helpful annotations by the portuguese historian Rui Tavares, who also translated the text.
    • 3/5
      Voltaire wrote this under a pseudonym as a satyrical critique to the popular philosophy of the day whereby we live in the best possilble world. It reads as a (rather long) series of atrocities and misfortunes that happen to just about every person Candice encounters during his rather curious adventures.
      An interesting read in it's historical and philosophical context, but rather tough read without it.
    • 3/5
      I read this for my World Lit II class. I wouldn't have read it otherwise. But am I glad I have this under my belt now? You bet. This was especially fun to read aloud. To my mother. Who hated every minute of it. Ha, ha. A lot of the satire went way over my head, even after class discussions. But I was still amused by all of the crazy ordeals that poor Candide was put through.
    • 4/5
      What a humorous ride. I really enjoyed this classic. Candide learns many lessons of Loyalty, Love, Trust and Money. It is so well written, it was fun to read.
    • 4/5
      A witty and satirical look at the life of Candide, the love of his life, his valet, philosophy mentor and others as they travel and live through horrors that are inflicted on them. Thank goodness for the Notes provided with the book because it helped me understand some of the terms used, and also provided a great deal of cultural and historical information.
    • 5/5
      Fun and comic read. Easy to get through and hysterical.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed delving into the theological wanderings of this 17th century philosopher; the backgrounds and criticisms also helped to give the book more depth and context. It was thrilling for me to "get to know" a writer so bold and unflinching in his views, who lived 400 years before I was even born. Candide was delightful--a tease for the brain as well as a story for the soul. I'd recommend.
    • 2/5
      Should be renamed Job. Geez, what else was supposed to happen to this guy? And everyone in his life kept getting killed and then turning up again. Not my cup of tea even as a satire.
    • 4/5
      Very funny. Cynical. This edition was a please to read. Not great realistic storytelling but that wasn't the point of it, now was it.
    • 4/5
      It's a sweet little satire. Easy and fun, it reads like a fable. I'm not sure that I get the more complicated satirical meanings - seeing as how it was written in the eighteen century... but it's definitely full of quips that you could use.

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    Candide - Voltaire

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