An edition of Candide (1746)

Candide

or, Optimism

by

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Cover of: Candide by Voltaire, Voltaire
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  • ★★★ ★ 4.0 (86 ratings)
  • 412 Want to read
  • 22 Currently reading
  • 146 Have read
Notes

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Last edited by MARC Bot
July 21, 2025 | History
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An edition of Candide (1746)

Candide

or, Optimism

by

  • ★★★ ★ 4.0 (86 ratings)
  • 412 Want to read
  • 22 Currently reading
  • 146 Have read

It was the indifferent shrug and callous inertia that this 'optimism' concealed which so angered Voltaire, who found the 'all for the best' approach a patently inadequate response to suffering, to natural disasters - such as the recent earthquakes in Lima and Lisbon - not to mention the questions of illness and man-made war. Moreover, as the rebel whose satiric genius had earned him not only international acclaim, but two stays in the Bastille, flogging and exile, Voltaire knew personally what suffering involved. In Candide he whisks his young hero and friends through a ludicrous variety of tortures, tragedies and reversals of fortune, in the company of Pangloss, a 'metaphysico-theologo-cosmolo-nigologist' of unflinching optimism. The result is one of the glories of eighteenth-century satire.

Publish Date
Publisher
Penguin Books
Language
English, French
Pages
144

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Subjects

Conduct of life Readers Literatura francesa Satire Fiction Civilization Moral conditions Enlightenment Politics and government Life French language Philosophy French fiction Ethics Classic Literature Imaginary letters Personal conduct Open Library Staff Picks Translations into Chinese open_syllabus_project Lifestyles Modern Philosophy Translations into English Candide French literature Early works to 1800 French Satire French language materials Optimism Histoire History Continental european fiction (fictional works by one author) Fiction, general Large type books Adventure stories Dictionaries English language Chinese German Korean Inquisition Romance literature Fiction, satire Nonfiction Spanish Philosophy, Modern -- 18th century Critique et interprétation Criticism and interpretation Candide (Voltaire) Fiction, humorous Bildungsromans Littérature française Romans, nouvelles Roman français Humor Voltaire, 1694-1778 French language, readers Fiction, humorous, general Great britain, fiction Fiction, historical, general Wit and humor Literature Teachers Library Personal copy Picaresque literature French literature, history and criticism Fiction, historical German Picaresque literature Civilisation Roman picaresque allemand Siècle des Lumières History and criticism Histoire et critique Vida Novela Optimismo Classics Literary Humor, topic, politics Happiness Illustraties Frans Bright's disease Edema Study guides Examinations Humor, general Social life and customs Pen drawing Facsimiles Swiss Drawing Photoengraving Specimens Mœurs et coutumes Humour Dessin à la plume Fac-similés Dessin suisse Photogravure Spécimens Manners and customs Translations Disability Evaluation Occupational Accidents Legal Liability Employers' liability Industrial accidents Traumatism Working class Medical care Young men Jeunes hommes Optimisme Satire française Lettres fictives Philosophie Novela francesa Glomerulonephritis Complications collection:Name

People

Lester G. Crocker Voltaire (1694-1778)

Places

Great Britain France

Times

18th century

Showing 14 featured editions. View all 1079 editions?

Edition Availability
Cover of: Candide
Candide
2014, Standard Ebooks
in English
Cover of: Candide
Candide
2013, [CreateSpace/Amazon]
in English
Cover of: Candide
Candide
2006-11-27, Project Gutenberg
in English
Cover of: Cándido
Cándido
2006, Lectorum
in Spanish - 1. ed.
Cover of: Candide, ou, L'optimisme
Candide, ou, L'optimisme
2003-11-01, Project Gutenberg
in French
Cover of: Candido, ovvero, L'ottimismo
Candido, ovvero, L'ottimismo
1990, Rizzoli
in Italian - 2. ed.
Cover of: Candide
Candide
1979, Franklin Library
in English
Cover of: Candide
Candide
1967, Bantam Books
in English and Undetermined
Cover of: Candide - Art Type Edition of the World's Popular Classics
Candide - Art Type Edition of the World's Popular Classics
1965-01-01, Books Inc
in English
Cover of: Candide
Candide
1962, Penguin Books
in English
Cover of: Candide
Candide: or, Optimism
1947, Penguin Books
in English and French
Cover of: Candide
Candide
1930-06, Modern Library
in English
Cover of: Candide
Candide
19xx?, Modern Library
in English
Cover of: Candide
Candide
19xx?, Modern Library
in English

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Book Details

Edition Notes

Published in
Harmondsworth
Series
Penguin classics

Classifications

Library of Congress
PQ2082.C3 E5 1947b, PQ2082.C3 E5 1947, PZ3.V89 C13

Contributors

Translator
John Butt

The Physical Object

Pagination
144 p.
Number of pages
144

Edition Identifiers

Open Library
OL19738430M
ISBN 10
0140440046
ISBN 13
9780140440041
LCCN
05950473
OCLC/WorldCat
51444202, 19102321, 5950473
LibraryThing
2184
Goodreads
385059

Work Identifiers

Work ID
OL100672W

Source records

Work Description

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.

Links outside Open Library

Community Reviews (1)

Pace 1 Fast paced 100% Enjoyability 1 Engaging 100% Clarity 1 Clearly written 100% Difficulty 1 Advanced 100% Genres 1 Fiction 33% Classic 33% Philosophical 33% Mood 1 Reflective 25% Lighthearted 25% Hopeful 25% Melancholy 25% Impressions 1 Highly recommend 100% Length 1 Short 100% Style 1 Olde 100% Purpose 1 Broaden perspective 100%

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