Candide

Candide ou l'Optimisme is a French satire first published in 1759 by Voltaire a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. The novella has been widely translated with English versions titled Candide: or All for the Best; Candide: or The Optimist; and Candide: Optimism. 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 distringuished 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.