Book Review: Candide, by Voltaire

A cynical satire of "the best of all possible worlds."

First published in 1759, approximately 35,000 words. Available for free on Project Gutenberg.

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.

( Voltaire was sharper, but Swift was funnier. )

Verdict: As an important, ground-breaking work, Candide had its moment, but it's now a very dated polemic that's too absurd to be read as a serious philosophical argument. The story itself is entertaining in its comical cavalcade of grotesqueries, but this is one to read for its historical significance (and a few choice witty passages), as the humor wears thin quickly.

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