Voltaire’s Candide (1759)

Semiquincentennial of the Publication of Voltaire's Candide: ou l'Optimise (1759)

Candide, or Optimism (1759), a “philosophic tale”, is a clever satire of France in the mid-18th century. He makes fun of religious intolerance, the destructiveness of war, and the foibles of mankind. He concludes with a plea that we should all “cultivate our own gardens”.

[For further reading see the French Enlightenment]