Product Description: One of Western literature’s most glorious and incisive satires—now in a brilliant new translation with a bold new cover by Chris Ware
With its vibrant new translation, perceptive introduction, and witty packaging, this new edition of Voltaire’s irreverent, tragicomic masterpiece belongs in the hands of every reader pondering our assumptions about human behavior and our place in the world.
Candide tells of the outrageous adventures of the naïve Candide, who doggedly believes that “all is for the best” even when faced with injustice, suffering, and despair. Controversial and entertaining, Candide is a book that is vitally relevant today in our world pervaded by—as Candide would say— “the mania for insisting that all is well when all is by no means well.”
Voltaire's Magnum Opus Candide: Or Optimism parodies the classic, romantic coming-of-age story, with the young title character, Candide - the ignorant, ever-optimistic metaphysician of Westphalia- confronting the evils of the real world. His forbidden love of a baron's daughter causes Candide to be evicted from his home and sheltered life into a desolate sixteenth-century Europe--where the strong prey on the weak and misery abounds in the heart of humanity. The master of social commentary dissects spiritual faith, ethics and legal systems, love and human vanity all in under 200 pages. Everyone can relate Candide's life story and journey to their own. Highly recommended.
:) I enjoyed this book, but it was irritating looking up the footnotes. They made it especially amusing and odd, but it definitely isn't my favorite.
Entertaining Candide is certainly humorous for those that understand medieval to early modern European history.This satire is cynical much like Erasmus' "Praise of Folly". Voltaire attacks many of the issues of European society. You do not need to be a historian to appreciate this work, or have a great knowledge of European history to understand it. Buy it and enjoy.
"O che sciagura d'essere senza coglioni!" If you thought 18th century satire is irrelevant today, you might want to know the meaning of that Italian phrase, uttered by a eunuch at the sight of an abandoned and beautiful young lady in the story: "Oh, what a misfortune to be without balls!"
If you've made the decision to read Candide already, then this is the version you want to buy. Theo Cuffe's translation is more recent and much better than any other ones out there. I was thinking of purchasing the Oxford World Classics edition - after all, it's a few dollars cheaper and has a few more stories - but after contrasting paragraphs from Candide in either version, I decided Cuffe's superior translation warrants the extra money. This edition is also bound beautifully; it's a paperback but the cover is much firmer than a regular paperback and is adorned with eye-catching comic strips and a useful list (with pictures) of the main characters on the inside flap of the cover. This edition also has very thorough footnotes at the end; if you're like me and have little acquaintance with the 18th century and life through the era of Enlightenment, the handy footnotes will graciously guide your way. Aside from the footnotes, this edition also has additional pertinent writings from Voltaire including a poem he wrote on the disaster of the Lisbon earthquake and some excerpts from his Philosophic Dictionary.
Now, if you haven't made up your mind as to whether you'd like to read this, I strongly urge that you do. It's a rather short story but a very profound one. It's extremely witty, clever, and yet masterfully laconic. The story itself is an assault on the philosophic concept of "Optimism" as championed by Leibniz, Alexander Pope, and various other contemporaries of Voltaire who believed that all that happens in the world is for the best, and that we live in the best of all possible worlds. As Pope himself said famously, "whatever IS, is good." Candide, the young, naive and charming protagonist of our story is very much swayed in the direction of believing in Optimism because of the teachings of his philosopher teacher Pangloss. But as Candide inadvertently travels the world, matures, and learns from the sight of reality beyond the corridors of his residence at Westphalia, his perceptions begin to change, and we begin to develop nothing short of a sense for everything that is meaningful and meaningless in life. As Gustave Flaubert once said, the prose of Voltaire is mesmerizing and yet ingeniously succinct. You'll know the feeling once you travel the land of Eldorado, where people are indifferent to diamonds and gold lying in their streets and where everything is in perfect harmony, with non-other than the worthy Candide.
A fun adventure story I think a lot of readers miss the point of this book. It is a romantic adventure story like the Odyssey and The Princess Bride, not some political rant or whatever people misconstrue it to be. It is named after the star of the book, Candide, a young nobleboy that's sent out on his own in the 18th century. Like Alexander the great, Candide has his Aristotle...in this case Pangloss, an amazing philosopher that believes everything has a purpose and works for the common good in the world. Throughout his adventures, Candide's faith in his mentor's teachings is continually tested, yet he stands firm in his beliefs instead of caving in capriciously.
You are no doubt getting ready to throw this book into your Amazon cart, but I beseech you dear reader, hold back and finish this review. For I need to impart in you the fact that this book is a love story as well! Candide, from his days in the Baron's court has been in love with the beautiful Cunegonde, whose stolen kiss is responsible for his banishment from the castle! On his journeys he meets back up with the fair maiden, in Portugal, and they go on a romantic boat-ride together! They sail to South America in the New World where they soon must split up.
Candide then travels to El Dorado where he meets the king! The king gives him billions of dollars worth of diamonds! He loses most of the diamonds on the way home, but he is still a millionaire. He then must travel to Venice where he is to meet back up with his love.
There were some funny parts in this book, but most of it was starkly serious. There was war, torture, natural disasters, and many other road blocks that Candide must overcome in order to get his prize, Cunegonde. I found this book to be a great motivational tool for myself. "You don't get the princess Cunegonde unless you sail to the New World and get a bunch of diamonds from the king of Eldorado," I keep telling myself.
I don't understand why so many people had a cow over this book. Apparently its author was thrown into prison for writing it! Maybe because it was a little violent and people weren't used to violence back then. Though I do admit, this book is strictly R rated, which makes me upset that they have school-kids reading this stuff. Kids, having never been subjected to the subjects of s e x and violence in this book may not understand it in a mature way without parental guidance.
The author picked a good name for the star of this book, as Candide is an unusual name and makes a good title. Can you imagine if he named the main character Steve? It just wouldn't have the same effect. I liked this book so I hope the author has some more fun adventure stories in the works.
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