Candide ou l' Optimisme

The adventurous story of Candide, who wanders around the globe in search of his beloved Cunégonde and whose faith in the "best of all worlds" is put to a severe test in the face of the everyday reality of oppression and violence, is Voltaire's narrative masterpiece. In its blend of malicious cynicism and cheerfulness, of radical skepticism towards all doctrines of salvation and a reconciliatory optimism for the future, this small novel is also an immortal document of the European Enlightenment. "Whenever I despair of the world again, as must happen in an age of global armaments and enslavements, a few pages from Voltaire's enchanting yet vividly illustrative tale 'Candide' are enough to provoke new vigor - the spark of his life's fire leaps to the reader as ever." (Robert Minder).