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Candide

Voltaire,

Sara Gioacchino Corcos (Translator)

3.77 · Rating details · 246,879 ratings · 9,375 reviews

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 ...more

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Paperback, 129 pages

Published 1991 by Dover Publications (first published January 1759)

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Nov 20, 2008 Manny rated it it was amazing

Shelves: strongly-recommended, parody-homage, mentions-twilight, well-i-think-its-funny, french, story-review

- Bonjour, M. Candide! Bienvenue au site Goodreads! Qu'en pensez-vous?

- It's OK, we can speak English. Pour encourager les autres, as one might say.

- Eh... super! I mean, good! So, what do you make of twenty-first century Britain?

- Vraiment sympathique! I am reading of your little scandale with the expenses of the Houses of Parliament. It is a great moment for la démocratie. Now there will be des élections, the people will be able to choose better representatives, we will see that the country ha ...more

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Nov 27, 2016 James Tivendale rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, philosophy

Voltaire's novel introduces the reader to Candide, a wide-eyed, calm and slightly bland young gentleman who resides at Castle Westphalia and who believes in the philosophy that "everything in the world is for the best." One of the first scenes is filled with two emotional opposites for Candide who first gets to kiss his love, Cunegonde behind a screen, only to then be kicked out of the castle, literally, by the Baron of Thunder-ten-Tronckh.

Here then begins Candide's incredible, fantastical adve Voltaire's novel introduces the reader to Candide, a wide-eyed, calm and slightly bland young gentleman who resides at Castle Westphalia and who believes in the philosophy that "everything in the world is for the best." One of the first scenes is filled with two emotional opposites for Candide who first gets to kiss his love, Cunegonde behind a screen, only to then be kicked out of the castle, literally, by the Baron of Thunder-ten-Tronckh.

Here then begins Candide's incredible, fantastical adventure which takes him all over the globe with his mind always believing in the viewpoint that "the folly of optimism". Moving on from being a soldier in the Bulgarian army to being shipwrecked, being involved with the aftermath of an earthquake to being robbed and swindled more times than seems fair - our hero has a lot of bad luck. One of the overarching issues of this narrative is to present that it isn't just Candide that bad things happen to and that the world is just pretty damn horrible. Tragic things happen to all our main characters including philosopher Dr. Pangloss and a nice old lady who saved Candide from certain death. The tale is humorously and satirically presented in short, sharp chapters by Voltaire. Some descriptions of doom and degradation are presented in a comic fashion because if they were not they might be too unspeakably horrid and upsetting to read, and therefore would not keep us readers interested in, well, reading further. The heartlessness, negativity, and cold-heartedness of humans is a frequent aura and undertone throughout. The novel features all sorts of nastiness such as rape, murder, prostitution, and slavery among other diabolical nastiness and nonsense. The only part of this book where Voltaire excludes any use of humour is when he talks about slavery after we meet a mutilated man. This is quite poignant when the author has presented all the mephistophelian activities previously that slavery doesn't deserve any humour - arguably making this the crime Voltaire begrudges the most in this world. There are many heart-rending, pitiful and distressing moments throughout, sprinkled with humour and comedy.

Candide and his valet Cacambo, after nearly being eaten by indigenous people; arrive in Voltaire's Utopia El Dorado. This was my favourite section of the book as this unobtainable existence is a polar opposite of everything that the two young men have faced so far. Gold and diamonds litter the streets as pebbles, there is no law, scientific advancements that make the Western world jealous, no prisons and is opposite to the popular viewpoint of the story that "all is misery and illusion". The main plot progression throughout the book is Candide trying to find his love Cunegonde as he wishes to marry her which is his reason for (stupidly in my opinion) leaving this wonderful place.

The whole cast is likable. Some of the times they meet up with friends spontaneously all over the world is amazingly far fetched. Two of the main characters are previously mentioned optimistic philosopher Dr. Pangloss and ultimately pessimistic scholar and travel companion of Candide's, Martin. The juxtaposition here is very interesting. It is very "black and white" for these extreme viewpoints. There is no compromise or middle ground. A great amount of philosophy is discussed throughout the book in conversations usually prompted by Candide who wants answers to how the world works. It may very well be that he changes his optimistic opinion throughout the narrative.

I probably shouldn't like a book with so much negativity but it is incredibly written. It reminded me of Verne's - Around The World In Eighty Days. Both being high octane adventures transversing across the globe but with Candide's undertones being a lot more macabre.

My favourite scene was when Candide discusses classic literature such as Homer, Virgil, and Horace to a King who dislikes everything. "You will agree that this is the happiest of mortals, for he is above everything he possesses." Negativity and hatred is the main theme throughout the whole novel.

The problem with reviewing classic literature like this is that many greater wordsmiths over previous centuries have written more poetic and moving opinions. I'm an ant looking up at these amazing intellects and just trying to give my thoughts. I struggle to write about legendary books however I enjoyed the book so much I had to write down a few blurbs of thoughts even though the quality will be lacking when compared to previous critics. If you haven't already, this book is very well worth reading!

James Tivendale. ...more

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Mar 11, 2010 Fabian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Slightly disappointed with the next-Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I took on this classic next IN ONE SITTING.
&...
WOW!

Where has this one been all my life? I adore "Candide" because it is rife with adventure, it is a speedy read, and at the very end you experience a vortex of feelings and NOVEL concepts. It transcends literature itself.

Compare this to Dante. To Shakespeare! I could not help but smile at all the awful misadventures of our poor fool. This is made for someone, like me, who thinks "The Alch ...more

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Dec 18, 2017 Vit Babenco rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds…
And following this sententious wisdom Candide embarks on the quest of his life.

Never was anything so gallant, so well accoutred, so brilliant, and so finely disposed as the two armies. The trumpets, fifes, hautboys, drums, and cannon made such harmony as never was heard in Hell itself.

His adventures begin with war… Wars bring glory to those who are on the winning side… Especially to the monarchs and their generals… As for the rest, they may ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 David Lentz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

"Candide" is an accessible masterpiece which demonstrated to the world Volatire's genius as a satirist. The eponymous Candide is a young man tutored by an optimist who is convinced according to the cause and effect philosophy of Leibniz and perhaps is best summarized in Voltaire's leitmotif that human beings live in the "best of all possible worlds." Alexander Pope rather laughably made the same outrageous claim in his "Essay on Man" in which he writes, "Everything that is is right." How can thi "Candide" is an accessible masterpiece which demonstrated to the world Volatire's genius as a satirist. The eponymous Candide is a young man tutored by an optimist who is convinced according to the cause and effect philosophy of Leibniz and perhaps is best summarized in Voltaire's leitmotif that human beings live in the "best of all possible worlds." Alexander Pope rather laughably made the same outrageous claim in his "Essay on Man" in which he writes, "Everything that is is right." How can this be so, you may well ask? Here is the nut of the problem: it seems that a perfect God has created a highly imperfect world. How can a good, omnipotent, loving God create a world in which so much catastrophic evil exists and which is so often allowed even to thrive? It is a question for the ages. Theologians argue that God created mankind with free will and without it they would simply be puppets without the freedom to make choices. Theologians also point out that the majority of the evil resident in our world is perpetuated on vast masses of humanity by other human beings, not God, and that evil is the cause and effect of conflicting self-interests imposed by people with more power upon the less powerful. But this point doesn't explain why a loving, all-powerful God would allow any of it to exist and endure. Why not cast down all the devils and give his human creatures a perfect garden, a paradise on earth, without snakes anywhere? Why did God create the serpent in the Garden of Eden in the first place? Voltaire, like Rousseau, was an avid gardener and Voltaire jests at Rousseau's good faith in the "Confessions" as if the latter were simply a country bumpkin. But gardens have a great deal of meaning in "Candide" as in, for example, Milton's "Paradise Lost" or "Genesis" and are thematically significant for Voltaire who concludes that gardens are, after all, a wise place to reside out of harm's way. Voltaire absolutely skewers the optimistic cause and effect of Pope and Leibniz with a catalog of tragicomic catastrophes which plague not only Candide and Pangloss but all of mankind infinitely. Consider the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 which burst suddenly out of nowhere with all its raging fires and tidal waves to destroy nearly all of the city and the ships in its harbor. Is there no end even to the great catastrophes in which man has no hand but from which we are compelled to suffer except for God's grace? Voltaire's vivid and piercing wit is hilarious as he brazenly brings parody to places high and low, near and far, rich and poor to depict our world as the ultimate dystopia. In his novel Candide can only find a semblance of happiness in El Dorado, a rich, hidden world in South America: in other words, happiness in real life can only be found in a utopia without a basis for reality. So what are we to deduce about Candide? Is he a sometimes violent fool for all his naivete? And is Pangloss not a buffoon who earns his suffering so extensively at every turn of the road for his unjustified, unbridled optimism? Or are they heroic for their optimism despite the epic disasters that nearly devastate them time after time. Or is their fate really just the human condition and are they both just being all too human? You decide. In the course of your reading of this brief novel you may discover, as I did, that the optimists are constantly challenged by the gap between their optimism and reality, and that the pessimists are doomed to be the unhappiest people on the planet because they cannot imagine a world without misery and, thereby, create it for themselves wherever it doesn't really already exist. Take your pick of perspectives as a "free" human being and challenge your own assumptions about the human condition. Clearly, Balzac would seem to agree with his compatriot, Voltaire, that whatever you make of life on this earth, surely it is no less than an epic human comedy. At least in this life, thankfully, if you can stand back far enough, there is, God knows, no end to the laughter of the human condition. ...more

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Oct 17, 2019 Fergus rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

I’m afraid this classic and long-winded anarchist rant is still as much Over the Top as it always was for me.

Yes...

Still a bit much indeed.

Sure, I see what Voltaire is railing at: Effete philosophically liberal posturing - without a heart.

But aren’t theorists of all stripes NOW more or less heartless? Ah, for the old Kantian days...

No wonder we’re at our current impasse everywhere!

Sure, I know where Voltaire is coming from. He’s coming out of a traumatically blighted Childhood at the hands of so ...more

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Oct 07, 2015 Lizzy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-years-ago, classics-literay-fiction, stars-5, france, favorites-of-all-times

I dedicate this review to my dear friend Roger, a writer of inspiring reviews. This is in great part in answer to your question: "Do you ever read anything light?"

Roger made me think: what major literature work, as nothing less would do!, that I read would fit the definition of light? Of course, Candide came up front to my mind. And what makes Candide so brilliant and hilarious? Not one think, but various factors combined:

1. Remarkable characters: a hopelessly naïve protagonist, for whom you ha ...more

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Jun 25, 2014 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die

“If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?”

If the world was created to drive us mad, as one character in "Candide" suggests, it is quite well suited for its purpose and running like a fine-tuned machine. If, on the other hand, everything is for the best in this best of possible worlds, as the optimist philosopher Pangloss claims in admiration for Leibniz' idea of a benevolent, planning, organised deity, the above question is fair and scary. What are the other worlds like, ...more

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Mar 04, 2021 Luís rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: france, e-5-favourites, g-philosophy, g-humour, g-classics

Candide is a real crush! Simply magical. I knew this novel but had never had the pleasure of reading it. Here it is! Candide is the hero of this philosophical tale; he is a character who lives up to his name, wants to be optimistic and believes in life. We know that he was born in Westphalia, a German kingdom, and is the son of the sister of Sir Baron de Thunder-ten-tronckh. The latter will raise him with his daughter, Miss Cunégonde, his wife and a philosopher, Pangloss, whose moral is "all is ...more

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Jan 24, 2018 Piyangie rated it really liked it

Shelves: french-lit

It seems that I haven't known or understood Voltaire enough to appreciate his most acclaimed work. This reading put me straight since I've revisited this with a fair knowledge of Voltaire's life and philosophy.

When I first read this, I found it nonsensical. I didn't know that the whole work was a satirical attack on Leibniz's optimism. Leibniz's philosophy was that we live in the best of possible worlds and that everything happens for the best. Voltaire was highly critical of this theory and ar It seems that I haven't known or understood Voltaire enough to appreciate his most acclaimed work. This reading put me straight since I've revisited this with a fair knowledge of Voltaire's life and philosophy.

When I first read this, I found it nonsensical. I didn't know that the whole work was a satirical attack on Leibniz's optimism. Leibniz's philosophy was that we live in the best of possible worlds and that everything happens for the best. Voltaire was highly critical of this theory and argued that if everything happens for the best, then good as well as evil deeds will have to be justified. If so, then there will be no physical or moral progress in the world. Candide was his attempt to ridicule that theory of Leibniz and to counter it with his own that "we must cultivate our own garden". So, what was nonsensical to me at first made perfect sense to me now. And it was quite right for the story to be nonsensical since it was satirizing a far-fetched theory. :)

In addition to Voltaire's criticism of Leibnizian theory, one can also see his pen working against many quarters. The European governments, kings, the wealthy nobility, the rich merchants, the philosophers, the literary men suffer through his critical eye. Voltaire's views thus expressed through the story were both interesting and amusing. And the story of Candide, with his adventures and mishaps, greatly entertained me.

One of the criticisms I had when I first read Candide was that Voltaire's language was unrefined. But having read a fair amount of 18th-century literature, I've come to realize that it was quite the norm at the time. Also, having read this time in French, I found the language was a little less offensive than the English translation that I've read before. And I agree with those GR friends who told me that the translation might have contributed to my disliking the book.

I'm glad I revisited this. It's a book I've misunderstood through my limited knowledge of the purpose of its author. I'm truly pleased that this time around I was able to understand, appreciate and enjoy it. ...more

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Jul 18, 2009 K.D. Absolutely rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: 501 Must Read Books; 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006-2010)

Shelves: 1001-core, classics, 501, french

panglossian - adj. characterized by or given to extreme optimism, especially in the face of unrelieved hardship or adversity.

If an English word came from a book's character, that must be something. If the book was written and first published in the 18th century and many people still read it up to now, that must be really something.

I thought Voltaire's Candide was a difficult boring slow long read. Wrong. Exactly the opposite. It's an easy, very entertaining, fast-paced and short (only 100 pages) read. If you are still scared of reading classics (pre-1900), give this one a try. You will love this!

It tells a story of a man named Candide who falls in love with a materialistic but very beautiful Cunegonde. Her barron father of the lady does not approve of the affair so he kicks Candide out from house. So, Candide wanders around and meets all the misfortunes along the way. The novel is a picaresque as the long travel, meeting a lot of people and experiencing all the fortunes and misfortunes along the way, ends up with Candide enjoying his life and tending the beautiful garden of his estate.

This is the reason why I, after more than 3 years, went to our frontyard this morning and tended my overgrown garden. I pruned the trees and the shrubs, trimmed the plants, pulled out some weeds while my daughter helped in shooing away big red ants and removing the cobwebs. Reading has these all positive effects on me. It can even remind me of the things that I have been forgetting for a long time. This novel closes with this line: "That is well said," replied Candide, "but we must cultivate our garden.". When I finished reading it last night, I said, why not?

Its complete title is Candide or Optimism because of Candide's tutor, Doctor Pangloss who is an extreme optimist that Candide learns to always look at the positive side of things. You may say that I liked this book because of that. Wrong. The positivity of Dr. Pangloss is one for the books as it verges on stupidity and it is so funny when Candide remembers him and says "I wonder what would Pangloss say if he was here?" Having an English word culled from his name is really appropriate. He is really one for the books.

A life err routine-changing novel since I am gardening again after 3 long years of doing nothing at home but reading, reading and reading...

Except of course when am I at Goodreads reading book reviews of my friends, clicking the Like button and when I am in front of my desktop killing zombies by throwing plants at them.

I liked this book! ...more

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Apr 24, 2020 Sean Barrs rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-star-reads

Consider me dramatically and unequivocally unimpressed.

I did not laugh once. I do not engage with stories that are simple allegory to represent a philosophy. I want a little bit of substance. I want some storytelling involved.

Call it a product of its time if you like, but laziness is the word that comes to mind.

I won't waste anymore words here. ...more

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Jun 29, 2009 Chris rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2009

Zounds! This book is wildly entertaining and I giggled all the way through Candide's awful adventures. Who would have thought that murder, rape, slavery, sexual exploitation, natural disaster, pillaging, theft, and every other oppression imaginable could be so funny?

Here's some pretty good insight from the old woman with one buttock:

"I have been a hundred times upon the point of killing myself, but still I was fond of life. This ridiculous weakness is, perhaps, one of the dangerous principles im ...more

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Jan 08, 2016 Brian Yahn rated it it was ok

In only about 100 pages, Voltaire says more than your average 7 book series... Which would be great if most of what he talked about wasn't dated into irrelevance. So unless you're a French scholar, appreciating his satire seems unrealistic. Combine that with the speed at which the plot moves, and keeping up with Candide is definitely a chore. Truly enjoying his adventure seems like a privilege only possible for the super-educated.

At one time, Candide was a must-read. But, for the average person ...more

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Sep 14, 2013 Rakhi Dalal rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

I loved Candide! It is such a brilliant satire on the ideas observed through the glass of rosy eyed philosophy. “All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds”!!!

Candide, a young fellow, believes that whatever happens is for the best, courtesy his tutor Dr. Pangloss. The writing covers a number of unfavorable happenings and incidents, which should have been sufficient enough to let him abandon the colored glasses. But voila! Our man Candide is one optimist! He continues believing even I loved Candide! It is such a brilliant satire on the ideas observed through the glass of rosy eyed philosophy. “All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds”!!!

Candide, a young fellow, believes that whatever happens is for the best, courtesy his tutor Dr. Pangloss. The writing covers a number of unfavorable happenings and incidents, which should have been sufficient enough to let him abandon the colored glasses. But voila! Our man Candide is one optimist! He continues believing even through all the misfortunes in life. Nothing, not even the greatest follies of mankind like injustice, greed, apathy can shake his belief. In search of his beloved, Lady Cunegonde, he faces one trouble after another; at each step believing the philosophy to be true for he believes that he will be happy after he reunites with the love of his life. After many misadventures, he finally reunites with the Lady only to find that he doesn’t love her that much. (view spoiler) Still, Candide goes ahead and marries her to keep his promise, but he realizes that he hasn’t been happy at all.

So, where do we get from here?

Voltaire’s work is not only a satire on the times he lived in but can also be seen as a mirror to the modern societies where similar beliefs still find a strong foothold. It made me contemplate how still the religious or ideological conditioning can play a larger role in the underdevelopment of minds, thereby restricting rational thinking. It is further astonishing to witness the influence such ideas can exercise, if they are bestowed regularly with zest on a naive mind. (view spoiler) Religious fanaticism is one of the examples where such conditioning can bring about discord in the societies. And more than this, an individual, accepting such ideology, stands in danger of coming face to face with a sense of utter despair or worthlessness at the mere hint of failure of the long held ideas.

So, what can be a solution to this? In this work, Voltaire suggests hard work i.e. labor for people to find happiness in life. He opines that labor holds off three great evils: tedium, vice and poverty, making life more supportable. I do agree with him. Along with this I also believe that younger minds should be encouraged to question and analyse the ideas presented to them, so that what they exercise are not mere vague ideas but beliefs which can sturdily stand the test of the times.

...more

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Nov 12, 2019 Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤ rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, classic-of-the-month, cogito-ergo-sum

“This is the best of all possible worlds.”
― Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

You know what really irritates me? Over the top optimism due to a belief that everything happens according to some divine plan. 'Oh, you just lost your home in a hurricane? Well, "God" has a plan and a purpose for this. Just you wait, someday you'll be thankful this happened!' 'Oh, your child has blood cancer and will die a horrific death? Well, "God" works in mysterious ways but his will is always best.'

Bull. Fucki ...more

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May 16, 2016 Candi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, classics-shelf, european-literature, philosophy

"In the castle of Baron Thunder-ten-tronchkh in Westphalia, there once lived a youth endowed by nature with the gentlest of characters. His soul was revealed in his face. He combined rather sound judgment with great simplicity of mind; it was for this reason, I believe, that he was given the name of Candide."

I have to admit straightaway that in my youth, I was most like the naïve and often foolish Candide, believing in the teachings of the optimistic Dr. Pangloss that "all is for the best". Tho "In the castle of Baron Thunder-ten-tronchkh in Westphalia, there once lived a youth endowed by nature with the gentlest of characters. His soul was revealed in his face. He combined rather sound judgment with great simplicity of mind; it was for this reason, I believe, that he was given the name of Candide."

I have to admit straightaway that in my youth, I was most like the naïve and often foolish Candide, believing in the teachings of the optimistic Dr. Pangloss that "all is for the best". Though not expelled from my castle and "earthly paradise" for falling in love with the wrong young man and forcing the wrath of his parent to fall upon my shoulders, I did leave my humble abode to find independence, seek fortune and to live happily ever after. I knew there existed hardships in the world, but they could never really affect me personally, could they? Well, I am thankful to say that such misfortunes did not fall directly upon me as they did for Candide and the other characters of this penetrating and often comical little book. After his expulsion from the castle of Westphalia, Candide experiences, witnesses and hears about one horrific calamity after another as he travels the world – murder, war, rape, the Inquisition, theft, natural disasters and more. The events are often quite shocking and sometimes on the verge of being simply absurd (when you read about the old woman you will see what I mean here). I may not have been the wretched victim of such outrageous atrocities, yet as I began to make my own way in the world I grew to understand that such evil really did exist all around me. Candide, while not completely disillusioned, begins to question the faith of the ever so hopeful Dr. Pangloss. If given the opportunity to discuss what he has endured with this great philosopher, Candide believes Pangloss "would have told us admirable things about the physical and moral evils that cover the earth and the sea, and I would have felt strong enough to venture a few respectful objections."

So, Candide matures and hardens a bit, but continues on with a morsel of optimism. As he continues his voyage, Candide deliberately seeks to find "the most unfortunate" and "most disgusted" man to travel with him. Thus he meets Martin. We have all probably met a Martin. Some days, when I hear about the ugliness in the world, I feel like a Martin myself. Martin maintains that God has abandoned this world. He declares "I’ve almost never seen a town that didn’t desire the ruin of some neighboring town, or a family that didn’t want to exterminate some other family. Everywhere in the world, the weak detest the strong and grovel before them, and the strong treat them like flocks of sheep to be sold for their meat and wool." And so, how does one continue to live in this world? Should one bear extreme optimism like Dr. Pangloss or extreme pessimism like Martin? Is there something in between that allows us not to view the world with rose-colored glasses and ignorance but yet one that does not drown us in negativity and despair? One perhaps must take what we have been given, make the best of it, and find some rewarding work (whether that be a career, raising a family, or utilizing our talents in some way). As Candide discovered – "we must cultivate our garden".

A copy of this little satirical piece has been sitting on my basement shelf for perhaps 20 years. I don’t know where it came from, but I’m happy to say that I have finally picked it up and absorbed its lessons. I’m not certain if I understood the message correctly, but I think I did - at least in my own way. I liked this book. I didn’t necessarily love the way it was told, perhaps a bit silly and over the top for my liking, but I adored the little message it carried. No doubt Voltaire was brilliant and this book has endured for good reason. It’s a quick little read and worth your time. 3.5 stars
...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Trevor rated it really liked it

Shelves: philosophy, religion, literature

This is quite a remarkable book – a satirical attack on the notion that we live in the best of all possible worlds and that therefore all that happens in such a world invariably happens for the best. Voltaire is supposed to have written the whole thing in barely three days – a rather productive half-week.

What I found particularly interesting here was the discussion of war – how the horrors of war are presented in such an off-hand way and almost invariably the utter inhumanity of what is describe This is quite a remarkable book – a satirical attack on the notion that we live in the best of all possible worlds and that therefore all that happens in such a world invariably happens for the best. Voltaire is supposed to have written the whole thing in barely three days – a rather productive half-week.

What I found particularly interesting here was the discussion of war – how the horrors of war are presented in such an off-hand way and almost invariably the utter inhumanity of what is described (rape and even eating half of someone’s bum) is just chalked up to ‘the way things are’. The question of free will, human agency and responsibility for our actions – something that the notion of our living in the best of all possible worlds does much to undermine – is never far from the surface here, but invariably it remains just under the surface. This is a ‘show, don’t tell’ book – even if the showing is heavy-handed in the extreme. It would take a particularly committed optimist to go through what the characters in this book do and come out the other end still thinking the world is beyond any possibility of improvement.

What I particularly liked, though, was the very end and the garden that is being tended. It is through Candide’s labours to create this garden that he finally finds some sense of human dignity, stability and even a kind of happiness. The book is otherwise the odyssey of a fool, but this final acceptance of life as struggle and a kind of stoic acceptance of the rewards that come from labour is quite a lovely thing, really. Even before I got to the end I kept thinking the whole way through the book about how different Eastern and Western notions of these things are and have been. When the Buddha was first confronted by the world outside his idyllic palace he realised life was suffering. It is odd that when we in the West are confronted with much the same vision of the world around us we all too often excuse that suffering as being necessary for the greater good. This little book by Voltaire shows such inhumanity isn’t a necessary assumption of the Western tradition, that sometimes even we can be shocked by the horrors we inflict on others and even humbled by suffering.
...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Rowena rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, french-lit, favorites

This is a truly hilarious satire which starts with poor Candide being kicked out of the castle where he was born and brought up, after he falls in love with the baron’s daughter, Cunegonde. Then his troubles begin, and he ends up travelling all around the world looking for his beloved.

Candide experiences trial after trial, each one as bad and as far-fetched as the last. However, the way in which these trials were described did not make one feel too sorry for him; the story had more of the feel o ...more

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Feb 18, 2008 Chris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone.

While fruitlessly searching for something decent to read, I invariably come across a ton of acclaim for total hacks being labeled as ‘master satirists’. God that pisses me off, especially since none of those books are worth a damn, and while the authors wrongly think they have something interesting or unique to say, the thing that really disheartens me is that someone out there agrees with them. For each of these books, there should be a simple label affixed to the front cover that reads ‘Not As While fruitlessly searching for something decent to read, I invariably come across a ton of acclaim for total hacks being labeled as ‘master satirists’. God that pisses me off, especially since none of those books are worth a damn, and while the authors wrongly think they have something interesting or unique to say, the thing that really disheartens me is that someone out there agrees with them. For each of these books, there should be a simple label affixed to the front cover that reads ‘Not As Good As Candide’. I seriously think this would alleviate about 30% of all my unresolved issues with the public’s perception of what makes for decent reading. The other 70% could be resolved by making major overhauls to a universal ‘required reading’ list: The Great Gatsby, eh….let’s just toss that crap out and put Cosmos on there, how about actually learning something while you read?

I’m not about to give Candide a perfect score, and I don’t think that it deserves one, but I will say that it’s damn good. It seems that some of the popular philosophy making the rounds back in Francois-Marie’s day was just rubbing him wrong, especially the absolutely moronic concept that we live in ‘the best of all possible worlds’. Most people hear something that weak and simply binge drink to erase the awful memory that somebody out there could possibly believe that kind of shit. A lot of people write against these notions and somehow get their pitiful little whims published in the commentary of the local newspaper, and you wish you could choke those imbeciles as well, for giving more press to an already absurd concept. Lastly, there are the few that decide to sit down and write a satire about a hundred pages long to denounce what they consider absolute folly.

And with Candide, Voltaire relentlessly attacks the ridiculous philosophy of Liebniz and his familiars, attempting to show that this is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the best of all possible worlds (mainly because of the large number of utter clods totally f--king up the works). Our hero, Candide, is a naive youth being reared in the castle of a Westphalian Baron, living the good life while being tutored by a total fraud and hack named Pangloss, the Baron’s oracle/scholar. The only hindrance in the life of our featherbedded little friend is that his love interest, Cunogonde, happens to be the Baron’s vivacious 17-year old daughter, and the Baron isn’t about to have his daughter betrothed to some chump lacking the amount of noble ancestry suitable to his standards. The soothing, silver tongue of Pangloss has made an indelible mark on Candide, however, and when the opportunity arises to plant a surreptitious smooch on Cunegonde, he’s busted in the act and driven from the castle “when the Baron saluted Candide with some notable kicks on the rear”. That’s just hilarious, 'notable kicks', and there’s something this appealing on basically every page to follow: as this is only just the beginning; the first misfortune to befall our thick-skulled friend, Candide. Each successive f--king he suffers along the way is not only totally hilariously described in an absurd fashion, but is usually resolved in awesomely unreal turns of fate (I don’t think I could make it more than five pages without either cracking a smile or outright laughing for all the right reasons). The Baron’s castle is sacked by Bulgarians following Candide’s exile, setting the lively and luscious Cunegonde in flight from Westphalia as well, and one unfortunate event after another befalls both lovers; with Candide’s life quickly becoming filled with floggings, poverty, the Inquisition. natural disasters, piracy, and getting pimp-jacked as a result of some devious manipulation, while his beloved is reduced to harlotry, being ravished or ravaged, and unbecoming servitude at the hands of her completely offensive captors and suitors. Wow.

It probably isn’t the best book you’ll ever read, but I'd be pretty shocked to find out it wasn't even enjoyed. ...more

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May 08, 2019 Loretta rated it it was ok

Shelves: classic, my-2019-reading-challenge

The best part of this book was that it ended and with a happily ever after.

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Oct 22, 2007 J.G. Keely rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, french, humor

This book does not stick so well in my memory in either a negative or positive way, but I think this comes from the book being a mixture of two things which I could not feel more differently about: allegory and satire.

The first I find to be as silly and pointless as Aesop or Passion Plays. Characters in an allegory are oversimplified symbols, and so cannot comment on the nature of actual human beings. The style is already so firmly affixed to cultural states and norms that it cannot really say a This book does not stick so well in my memory in either a negative or positive way, but I think this comes from the book being a mixture of two things which I could not feel more differently about: allegory and satire.

The first I find to be as silly and pointless as Aesop or Passion Plays. Characters in an allegory are oversimplified symbols, and so cannot comment on the nature of actual human beings. The style is already so firmly affixed to cultural states and norms that it cannot really say anything beyond the dichotomous, and dualists are blinded by their egos.

I do love satire, but that is generally because of the wit and skill it takes to subvert and re-imagine. Unfortunately, once one has drawn so deeply on hyperbole in a work, it loses its ability to find that necessarily uncomfortable 'grey area'--that rift between assumption and observation.

Voltaire is witty and funny, but his condemnation and praise falls only on unrealistic absolutes, and hence becomes only political rather than philosophical. In this, he becomes in many ways Shakespeare's opposite; whose characters were so vaguely sketched that they could be held representative of many disparate identities.

It is too easy to force and distort arguments when the accepted givens are so strictly defined and counterpointed. This problem should be evident to anyone in America today who sees how opposition to ideas is transformed into meaninglessly pejorative identities. The temptation of thought-terminating cliches grows ever more in the face of such opposing forces as Voltaire presents.

No doubt much of Voltaire's popularity stems from the fact that he is so narrowly applicable and divisive. In this way he almost works like a philosopher since his ideas are so forcefully professed. However, unlike a philosopher he represents his opponents in a state of utter ridicule, he is less convincing than polarizing.

The other part of Voltaire's popularity comes from his empty century. The Seventeenth had Shakespeare and Milton. The Nineteenth showed the ridiculously fecund blossoming of the Romantics. The Eighteenth, however, has Fielding, Swift, Voltaire, and Pope. Fielding has escaped as wide a reading because his satire was more social than strictly political. Pope and Swift were likewise satirists, but of such a fanciful nature as to escape more simplistic and contentious forces. This leaves us with the more accessible Voltaire, who may be used to attack ideas, but not to build upon them. ...more

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Nov 26, 2017 Manny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: french, well-i-think-its-funny, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, why-not-call-it-poetry, translation-is-impossible, linguistics-and-philosophy, not-the-whole-truth

Not bought this book last time we visited Foyles; since it was lying around, I couldn't resist the temptation to read it again. You can read Candide any number of times. A particularly fine passage which I had forgotten, from the Eldorado sequence:

Cacambo expliquait les bons mots du roi à Candide, et quoique traduits, ils paraissaient toujours des bons mots. De tout ce qui étonnait Candide, ce n'était pas ce qui l'étonna le moins.

Cacambo explained the king's witty remarks to Candide, and, althou

...more

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Nov 28, 2021 Axl Oswaldo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, november-2021, 5-star-books

Splendid, very well written, and quite funny story.

"Do you believe," said Candide, "that men have always massacred each other as they do to-day, that they have always been liars, cheats, traitors, ingrates, brigands, idiots, thieves, scoundrels, gluttons, drunkards, misers, envious, ambitious, bloody-minded, calumniators, debauchees, fanatics, hypocrites, and fools?"

"Do you believe," said Martin, "that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they have found them?"

"Yes, without doubt," said Candid ...more

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Dec 27, 2021 Alan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy, french

Each and every single sentence in this book is dripping with satire – going through the footnotes took almost as long as reading the main thing. I am glad I did go through them, as they provide a rich historical background that allows one to understand exactly how Voltaire was coming at his story. There are shots taken at any and everyone, including publishers in Holland, Parisians, and Rousseau.

Candide’s journey is exhausting. His shitty luck is exhausting. The trials and tribulations he (and t ...more

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Dec 07, 2020 Théodore added it

Once again, Voltaire gives me the impression that he is not attracted to the novel or the story, which he contemptuously calls " trifles ".
" How can you prefer stories that have no meaning and mean nothing ? That's why we like it ".
He has the prejudice of the noble gender. The tragedy, the verse discourse, the philosophical pamphlet, visibly preoccupies him.

The story is divided into two moments, with the Eldorado episode in the center - the image of an inaccessible ideal. The evolution of the ...more

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Apr 27, 2015 Adina rated it liked it

Shelves: short, france, classics, 1001

A fast pace, short and entertaining classic. A satire of the philosophic ideas of extreme optimism summarised by “All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds”. A ridiculous number of misfortunes happen to Candide and his companions but he still clings himself of the idea that everything is for the best. The book reminded me of The 100 year old that climbed our of the window and disappeared (or something like that) because of the crazy coincidences and humorous tone.

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Aug 24, 2016 Jon Nakapalau rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy, classics

"Panglossianism" fails to take into account that the 'best of all possible worlds' may not be the best state of existence for everyone living in that world. The question of what makes the world 'best' and for whom that 'bestness' is reserved seems to me to be the core question of this book. ...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Daniel Clausen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-of-2020

There is a lot of the DNA of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in this book. Or, perhaps I should say, there is a lot of the DNA of Candide in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Both books have a similar theme: life is random, often absurd; it defies our ability to use philosophy to make sense out of nonsense; and travel is the mechanism by which we discover the variability of this absurdity.

In this book, we also have a philosophical conversation: between pessimism and optimism. Throughout the bo There is a lot of the DNA of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in this book. Or, perhaps I should say, there is a lot of the DNA of Candide in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Both books have a similar theme: life is random, often absurd; it defies our ability to use philosophy to make sense out of nonsense; and travel is the mechanism by which we discover the variability of this absurdity.

In this book, we also have a philosophical conversation: between pessimism and optimism. Throughout the book, philosophers themselves are depicted as the lowest form of life. Those who have mastered the art of getting by, without the impediment of metaphysics, do much better. Candide's schoolyard tutor Pangloss is the symbol of optimism -- and for it, he is submitted to all kinds of miseries (slavery, syphilis, among others). Martin, the symbol of pessimism, a down and out academic, is not spared indignities but seems to come out of the tale much more unscathed. Perhaps because he suffered his pains before he meets Candide -- the pains that serve as the source of his pessimism. One could argue that Martin actually isn't the opposite of Pangloss. He is, after all, a self-described Manichean, which means he believes in good and evil...not just evil. But for the most part, Candide treats Martin as Pangloss's opposite. And while poor Panglossian optimism often gets the worst of it throughout the tale, one could argue that that old pedant gets the last laugh in the end...as things do sort of work out for everyone...though whether this is the best of all possible worlds is up for debate.

I read this book for the first time as a high school student, but didn't remember too much about it (certainly not as much as I remember Hitchhiker's Guide). This book is of great instructional value for youngsters. Instead of grand theories of life, we get a hilarious presentation of the school of "hard knocks". Poor Candide and his group are subjected to: robbery, theft, fraud, rape, war, religious persecution, overbearing bureaucracy, natural disaster, disease...I'm sure I'm leaving a few things out. But an important theme during these trials is that the nonsense metaphysics of scholars and theologians often leave these characters more vulnerable than they otherwise would be. And it is indeed lowly servants, who have themselves been through the school of hard knocks, who have superior advice for our adventurers.

Thus, a practical lesson is to be had from this book: philosophy is good for entertainment, but if you wish to survive the vagaries of life, get yourself a compatriot or two who has experience with the hardships of life (good practical experience)...and, above all, read the classics! Especially those that focus on issues of practical wisdom and life experience. ...more

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Mar 15, 2017 Sud666 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, favorites, philosophy

François-Marie Arouet better known by his nom de plum Voltaire. During the French Englightenment he was a renowned author of a multitude of books covering a wide array of topics from history to science. But Voltaire is best known as a scathing satirist. His strong views on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state caused him to become famous but also a controversial figure. This caused him to have to frequently François-Marie Arouet better known by his nom de plum Voltaire. During the French Englightenment he was a renowned author of a multitude of books covering a wide array of topics from history to science. But Voltaire is best known as a scathing satirist. His strong views on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state caused him to become famous but also a controversial figure. This caused him to have to frequently change his country and led him through France to Great Britain and Prussia, eventually back to France. In that time Voltaire kept company with a variety of people from Fredrick of Prussia to Adam Smith and Edward Gibbon.In 1758 he moved to Ferney near the Franco-Swiss border. It is here that he wrote his famous Candide, ou l'Optimisme (Candide, the Optimist).

First and foremost, I was struck by just how funny this is. The biting satire of Voltaire is non-stop and still has the capability to amuse centuries later. So we meet Candide, the Illegitimate son of the sister of the baron of Thunder-ten-Tronckh. He is in love with Cunegonde, the Baron's daughter. Candide is tutored by Prof. Pangloss who practices Liebnizian philosophy (optimism). Everything from the name of the German baron to Dr. Pangloss' specialization which is listed as a "métaphysico-théologo-cosmolonigologie" is meant to be funny.
Candide is driven out from the Baron's castle due to his love and what follows his his trials and tribulations as he travels around the world. It is the dry wit and Candide's attempts to balance his awful luck and circumstances with the philosophy of optimism that make this a wonderful tale. It is truly amazing wit, that still raises eyebrows today and must have been downright shocking in the late 1700's. The style is like Douglas Adams in that the humor is nonstop. Sometimes it is obvious, as with the names of the characters, and other times its subtly placed in the text with phrases such as :

"...whom this lady would never marry because he could prove only seventy-one generations of nobility.." or "...the Baron was one of the most powerful lords in Westphalia, for his castle had a door and windows.."

This acerbic humor continues throughout the rest of this darkly comedic tale. While it is funny, we must not forget to read what Voltaire says about the Church, religion, the nobility, etc. He manages to convey these messages without ever becoming preachy. Rather he cloaks these very serious issues in a comedic guise and that makes them even more stark.

This is a book that one can read as a historical document that shows the mindset of one of the great French Enlightenment authors or just as a very funny work of fiction. Either way, this is a book well worth reading. The humor is obvious, even after all this time, and manages to make people laugh. The sheer absurdity of the adventure and the variety of characters (all some manner of parody) make this a great tale. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good tale. ...more

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About Voltaire

Voltaire

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Complete works (1880) : https://archive.org/details/oeuvresco...

In 1694, Age of Enlightenment leader Francois-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was born in Paris. Jesuit-educated, he began writing clever verses by the age of 12. He launched a lifelong, successful playwriting career in 1718, interrupted by imprisonment in the Bastille. Upon a second imprisonment, in which Francois adopted the pen na Complete works (1880) : https://archive.org/details/oeuvresco...

In 1694, Age of Enlightenment leader Francois-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, was born in Paris. Jesuit-educated, he began writing clever verses by the age of 12. He launched a lifelong, successful playwriting career in 1718, interrupted by imprisonment in the Bastille. Upon a second imprisonment, in which Francois adopted the pen name Voltaire, he was released after agreeing to move to London. There he wrote Lettres philosophiques (1733), which galvanized French reform. The book also satirized the religious teachings of Rene Descartes and Blaise Pascal, including Pascal's famed "wager" on God. Voltaire wrote: "The interest I have in believing a thing is not a proof of the existence of that thing." Voltaire's French publisher was sent to the Bastille and Voltaire had to escape from Paris again, as judges sentenced the book to be "torn and burned in the Palace." Voltaire spent a calm 16 years with his deistic mistress, Madame du Chatelet, in Lorraine. He met the 27 year old married mother when he was 39. In his memoirs, he wrote: "I found, in 1733, a young woman who thought as I did, and decided to spend several years in the country, cultivating her mind." He dedicated Traite de metaphysique to her. In it the Deist candidly rejected immortality and questioned belief in God. It was not published until the 1780s. Voltaire continued writing amusing but meaty philosophical plays and histories. After the earthquake that leveled Lisbon in 1755, in which 15,000 people perished and another 15,000 were wounded, Voltaire wrote Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne (Poem on the Lisbon Disaster): "But how conceive a God supremely good/ Who heaps his favours on the sons he loves,/ Yet scatters evil with as large a hand?"

Voltaire purchased a chateau in Geneva, where, among other works, he wrote Candide (1759). To avoid Calvinist persecution, Voltaire moved across the border to Ferney, where the wealthy writer lived for 18 years until his death. Voltaire began to openly challenge Christianity, calling it "the infamous thing." He wrote Frederick the Great: "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd, and bloody religion that has ever infected the world." Voltaire ended every letter to friends with "Ecrasez l'infame" (crush the infamy — the Christian religion). His pamphlet, The Sermon on the Fifty (1762) went after transubstantiation, miracles, biblical contradictions, the Jewish religion, and the Christian God. Voltaire wrote that a true god "surely cannot have been born of a girl, nor died on the gibbet, nor be eaten in a piece of dough," or inspired "books, filled with contradictions, madness, and horror." He also published excerpts of Testament of the Abbe Meslier, by an atheist priest, in Holland, which advanced the Enlightenment. Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary was published in 1764 without his name. Although the first edition immediately sold out, Geneva officials, followed by Dutch and Parisian, had the books burned. It was published in 1769 as two large volumes. Voltaire campaigned fiercely against civil atrocities in the name of religion, writing pamphlets and commentaries about the barbaric execution of a Huguenot trader, who was first broken at the wheel, then burned at the stake, in 1762. Voltaire's campaign for justice and restitution ended with a posthumous retrial in 1765, during which 40 Parisian judges declared the defendant innocent. Voltaire urgently tried to save the life of Chevalier de la Barre, a 19 year old sentenced to death for blasphemy for failing to remove his hat during a religious procession. In 1766, Chevalier was beheaded after being tortured, then his body was burned, along with a copy of Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary. Voltaire's statue at the Pantheon was melted down during Nazi occupation. D. 1778.

Voltaire (1694-1778), pseudónimo de François- ...more

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Quotes from Candide

“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 more stupid 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?” — 1423 likes

“Fools have a habit of believing that everything written by a famous author is admirable. For my part I read only to please myself and like only what suits my taste.” — 1185 likes

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