Candide and Other Stories

by Voltaire

Hardcover, 307 pages

English language

Published Nov. 2, 1992 by Knopf.

ISBN:: 978-0-679-41746-0
OCLC Number:: 9141665

(126 reviews)

Brought up in the household of a powerful Baron, Candide is an open-minded young man, whose tutor, Pangloss, has instilled in him the belief that 'all is for the best'. But when his love for the Baron's rosy-cheeked daughter is discovered, Candide is cast out to make his own way in the world.

And so he and his various companions begin a breathless tour of Europe, South America and Asia, as an outrageous series of disasters befall them - earthquakes, syphilis, a brush with the Inquisition, murder - sorely testing the young hero's optimism.

226 editions

gamer reviewed Candide: Candide: Bilingual Edition (English - French) by Voltaire (2015-01-06) by Voltaire

Review of 'Candide: Candide: Bilingual Edition (English - French) by Voltaire (2015-01-06)' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This one starts off being a satyrical banger. Over-the-top tragedy, comedy, story, characters. I can easily see this being an expression of a brilliant man looking at contemporary fiction and thinking "I can do better than this". Then actually proving that he can.

The wonderful thing is, that, it's not just good satire, it's also a decent book by itself, that holds up really well.

My only problem with it is the style. Maybe it's the translation, but it feels very dull, maybe blunt is a better word. There is not much inner life going on, it's just point A, point B, few lines of dialogue, repeat. Maybe this is part of the satire, but I haven't read enough books from that time to really be able to tell.

Overall an enjoyable read, but not one I will think about in 3 years.

decadent_and_depraved reviewed Candide by Voltaire

Review of 'Candide' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

I have never read a book that fashions itself a satire so devoid of subtly. The concept must have been foreign to Voltaire, as aesthetics very much were. For this book is formulaic beyond belief. Voltaire shows us something he deems grotesque, immoral, unjust, and then goes on to show us that there are people who believe that "this is the best of all possible worlds". Wow, what a keen insight, Voltaire! What a salient point! Well, he must have thought it salient enough to keep repeating it for 120 pages straight. I could practically smell it while reading. It was in the air. That smell of righteous semen from all the mental masturbation. Voltaire is the type of guy to ram a stake up his ass if it somehow could demonstrate to others how virtuous of a person he is. He would try, but he could not do it, …

ns reviewed Candide, or, Optimism by Voltaire (A Norton critical edition)

comedy sketch

4 stars

The novel is about Candide, an extreme optimist who, along the journey, has his optimism worn down, until him and his friends find satisfaction in a simpler life.

The novel is very silly, a lot of good hoots to be had. The Old Woman With One Buttock and Martin the Philosopher are particularly funny sketches. Still, the characters are intentionally paper-thin plot devices.

Candide answered: —I have seen worse; but a wise man, who has since had the misfortune to be hanged, taught me that everything was marvelously well arranged. Troubles are just the shadows in a beautiful picture.

—Your hanged philosopher was joking, said Martin; the shadows are horrible ugly blots.

The novel is about Candide, an extreme optimist who, along the journey, has his optimism worn down, until him and his friends find satisfaction in a simpler life.

Candide answered: —I have seen worse; but a wise man, who has since had the misfortune to be hanged, taught me that everything was marvelously well arranged. Troubles are just the shadows in a beautiful picture.

—Your hanged philosopher was joking, said Martin; the shadows are horrible ugly blots.

They make a trip to the legendary city of El Dorado, a utopia without suffering or conflict. That whole event was my favorite part. I think it's a statement about how people don't want what is good for them, even if it's right under their noses. They prefer the old way of life, to uphold old memories.

It's a fast paced book that doesn't take time to smell the roses. Voltaire writes like a scriptwriter, and a slurry of action inundates you. I'd say that the read itself isn't too bad. Since I read it in English instead of the French, it probably lost some flavor in translation.

Taken as a historical piece of fiction, it's insightful to study and you can tell the author is well read, but it's not a literary masterpiece. I think in an age where comedy standups and TV weren't as accessible as today, Voltaire filled the niche of a celebrity jester.

Lavinia reviewed Candide by Voltaire

Review of 'Candide' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

'Optimism' said Cacambo, 'what is that?'
'It is the madness of asserting that everything is good, when it is evil.'

Michael @ Knowledge Lost reviewed Candide: Or Optimism (Penguin Drop Caps) by Francois Voltaire

Review of 'Candide: Or Optimism (Penguin Drop Caps)' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Candide has lived a pretty sheltered life in an Edenic paradise, madly in love with the Baron’s daughter Cunégonde. His mentor Professor Pangloss taught him the ways of optimism but his adventures may challenge his life philosophy. Candide is a satire from Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. The book enjoyed much success, as well as a lot of controversy, being banned for religious blasphemy.

“Everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.”
In Candide, Voltaire sets out to challenge the philosophical ideas of optimism, particularly the works of Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz. Essentially he used a stripped down idea of optimism and explores it from a religious perspective. The idea is simply, if there is evil in the world would that be a sign that God is not entirely good or not all-powerful?

While Voltaire wrote Candide as a parody of the classic adventure tales, it also satirised organised religion. This was the main reason the novel got banned. Throughout the book all the religious leaders were either corrupt or hypocritical and you even encounter the Pope’s own daughter within the story. Most of the Catholic priests are never celibate, the hard-line Inquisitor has a mistress, and there is a friar who is a thief, despite the fact he is a member of the Franciscan order and has taken a vow of poverty.

For me, the connection between optimism and religion was what stood out the most in Candide. The whole concept of “everything will work out for the best” reminded me of the flawed thinking of some Christians. I grew up in the church, and I have heard people say things like “God will heal me” and never go to a doctor, or “God will provide” and never look for a job. I always thought this was a terrible attitude and a misunderstanding of the Bible. So while reading Candide, I saw this come through so many time and I really enjoyed that element.

This novel was a buddy read with a fellow booktuber (Shut Your Typeface) and her problem was the sexual exploitation of women within Candide. For me I thought Voltaire was trying to demonstrate a real situation effecting woman. The problem with having mistresses, rape, sexual slavery and still wanting women to be chaste and virtuous. I really do think he was trying to show a real problem that is effecting woman; all the women in the book were victims of some form of sexual assault. I might have viewed it one way but I can see how it could be interpreted as chauvinistic and disrespectful towards woman.

There are so many other themes that show up within Candide, from resurrection, wealth, and class. So many interesting topics worth exploring, but I did not want to make this review too long. I would love to talk about the parody of adventure tales, the humour and other themes but maybe I will leave them for the next review I do of this book, after a re-read. Candide was a very interesting and surprisingly easy to read. I had a lot of fun checking this novel out and looking at the depth to be found within the pages.

This review originally appeared on my blog; www.knowledgelost.org/book-reviews/genre/classic/candide-or-optimism-by-voltaire/