Cândido, ou o Otimismo

De Voltaire

François Marie Arouet, conhecido como Voltaire (1694-1778), nasceu e morreu em Paris. Descendente da pequena nobreza européia, desde cedo destacou-se como brilhante pensador, tendo freqüentado as melhores universidades do seu tempo. Com pouco mais de 20 anos já havia sido preso e exilado por ordem do regente Felipe de Orleans a quem havia dedicado panfletos satíricos e críticos. No seu exílio inglês escreveu as célebres Cartas inglesas ou Filosóficas. Sua obra é vasta, como longa foi a sua vida. Cândido ou o otimismo é a sua obra-prima, uma amostra de seu talento como escritor aliado à mordacidade, ironia e um certo cinismo que foi uma das marcas de sua convivência com os poderosos.

"Guiado pela razão", como costumava dizer, Voltaire foi, segundo Roland Barthes, "o último escritor feliz". Seu derradeiro bilhete diz que "morria admirando os amigos, sem odiar os inimigos e detestando a superstição". Personalíssimo, o seu pensamento se enquadra dentro da tradição do humanismo e seus escritos certamente estimularam a liberalização das instituições e as reformas sociais.

• Idioma: Português
• Editora: L&PM Editores
• Data de lançamento: 1 de jan. de 1998
• ISBN: 9788525421913

Pré-visualização do livro

CÂNDIDO

ou

O OTIMISMO

Traduzido do alemão

pelo Senhor Doutor Ralph[1]

COM ACRÉSCIMOS QUE FORAM ENCONTRADOS NO BOLSO DO DOUTOR QUANDO DE SUA MORTE, EM MINDLEN, NO ANO DA GRAÇA DE 1759.[2]

[1]. Com certeza, uma primeira ironia de Voltaire, que detestava a língua alemã, a qual nunca se dispôs a estudar.

[2]. Em janeiro de 1759, Cândido foi publicado simultaneamente em Paris, Londres, Amsterdã e Genebra, tendo sido condenado em Paris e Genebra.

CAPÍTULO PRIMEIRO

Como Cândido foi educado em um belo

castelo e como foi expulso dele

No castelo do senhor barão de Thunder-ten-tronckh, na Westphalia[1], havia um jovem rapaz ao qual a natureza concedera as virtudes mais doces. Sua fisionomia anunciava sua alma. Tinha um juízo assaz reto e um espírito dos mais simples; por estas razões, acredito, era chamado Cândido. As antigas empregadas da casa desconfiavam que fosse filho da irmã do barão e de um bom e íntegro fidalgo da vizinhança com quem esta senhorita não quis nunca casar porque ele não conseguiu provar senão setenta e um costados[2], sendo que o resto de sua árvore genealógica se perdera nos infortúnios do tempo.

O senhor barão era um dos mais poderosos senhores da Westphalia, pois seu castelo tinha uma porta e janelas. Sua sala principal era até decorada com uma tapeçaria. Todos os cães de seu quintal compunham, se necessário, uma matilha. Seus palefreneiros eram seus picadores. O vigário do vilarejo era seu principal distribuidor de esmolas. Todos o chamavam de monsenhor e riam quando contava casos.

A senhora baronesa, que pesava em torno de trezentas e cinquenta libras[3], só por isso granjeava uma grande consideração e fazia as honras da casa com uma dignidade que a tornava ainda mais respeitável. Sua filha Cunegunda, com dezessete anos, era rosada, fresca, gorda, desejável. O filho do barão era em tudo digno de seu pai. O preceptor Pangloss era o oráculo da casa, e o pequeno Cândido ouvia suas lições com a melhor boa-fé de sua idade e de seu caráter.

Pangloss ensinava a metafísico-téologo-cosmolonigologia. Provava admiravelmente que não há efeito sem causa e que, neste melhor dos mundos possíveis, o castelo do monsenhor Barão era o mais belo dos castelos e a senhora a melhor das baronesas possíveis[4].

– Está demonstrado, dizia ele, que as coisas não podem ser de outro modo: porque, tudo sendo feito visando a um fim, tudo está necessariamente ordenado ao melhor fim. Notem bem que os narizes foram feitos para sustentar os óculos. Por isso temos óculos. As pernas são visivelmente criadas para serem calçadas. E temos calças. As pedras foram formadas para serem talhadas e com elas fazemos castelos. Por isso monsenhor tem um castelo muito belo – o maior barão da província deve ser o melhor alojado. E os porcos, já que foram feitos para serem comidos, nós comemos porcos o ano todo. Por consequência, aqueles que sustentaram que tudo está bem, disseram uma tolice. É preciso dizer que tudo é o melhor possível.

Cândido escutava com atenção e, inocentemente, acreditava, pois achava a Senhorita Cunegunda extremamente bela, ainda que não tenha tido nunca a ousadia de declarar-se a ela. Concluía que depois da felicidade de haver nascido barão de Thunder-ten-tronckh, o segundo degrau de felicidade era ser a Senhorita Cunegunda; o terceiro, vê-la todos os dias; e, o quarto, ouvir o mestre Pangloss, o maior filósofo da província e, por consequência, de toda a Terra.

Cunegunda, ao passear um dia nas proximidades do castelo, no pequeno bosque que chamavam de parque, viu entre os espinheiros o doutor Pangloss dando uma lição de física experimental à dama de companhia de sua mãe, uma moreninha muito bonita e muito dócil. Como a senhorita Cunegunda tinha muito gosto pelas ciências, observou, com a respiração suspensa, as experiências reiteradas das quais era testemunha. Viu claramente a razão suficiente do doutor, os efeitos e as causas, e retornou toda agitada, toda pensativa, tomada pelo desejo de ser uma sábia. Sonhava que poderia ser a razão suficiente do jovem Cândido, o qual poderia ser igualmente a sua.

Retornando ao castelo, ela encontrou Cândido e enrubesceu. Cândido também enrubesceu. Ela lhe disse bom dia com uma voz entrecortada, e Cândido falou com ela sem saber o que estava dizendo. No dia seguinte, após o jantar, à saída da mesa, Cunegunda e Cândido se encontraram atrás de um biombo. Cunegunda deixou cair seu lenço, Cândido o apanhou. Ela pegou inocentemente sua mão, o jovem beijou inocentemente a mão da jovem com uma vivacidade, uma sensibilidade, uma graça toda particular. Suas bocas se encontraram, seus olhos se inflamaram, seus joelhos tremeram, suas mãos perderam o rumo. O Barão de Thunder-ten-tronckh passou perto do biombo e, vendo esta causa e este efeito, expulsou Cândido do castelo à custa de violentos chutes no traseiro. Cunegunda desmaiou. E foi esbofeteada pela senhora baronesa assim que voltou a si. Tudo foi consternação no mais belo e mais agradável dos castelos possíveis.

[1]. A Westphalia chocara Voltaire pela extrema miséria desde sua primeira viagem à Alemanha, em 1740.

[2]. Um costado equivale a uma geração de nobreza. Setenta e um costados são um exagero considerável, pois para ser considerado nobre, na França, bastavam quatro costados.

[3]. Cerca de 158 quilos.

[4]. Neste parágrafo Voltaire faz referência a ideias de Leibniz (1646-1716), cujas teorias são objeto das críticas de Cândido. Ironiza sobretudo o otimismo leibniziano – vivemos no melhor dos mundos possíveis –, mas também suas ideias geológicas, como a hipótese de que a Terra originalmente era liquefeita.

7. Os recrutadores prussianos usavam uniformes desta cor.

CAPÍTULO SEGUNDO

O que aconteceu com Cândido

entre os búlgaros

Cândido, expulso do paraíso terrestre, por muito tempo caminhou sem saber para onde, chorando, levantando os olhos para os céus, dirigindo-os com frequência para o mais belo dos castelos que enclausurava a mais bela das baronesas. Deitou-se, sem cear, no meio dos campos, entre os sulcos deixados pelo arado. A neve caía em flocos enormes. Cândido, enregelado, se arrastou no dia seguinte até a cidade vizinha, que se chamava Valdberghoff-trarbk-dikdorff, sem um tostão, morrendo de fome e de cansaço. Parou, com o ar mais infeliz, junto à porta de uma taberna. Dois homens vestidos de azul[1] o observaram:

– Camarada, disse um deles, eis um jovem muito bem-feito e que tem o porte que buscamos.

Aproximaram-se de Cândido e o convidaram, muito educadamente, para jantar.

– Senhores, lhes disse Cândido, com uma modéstia encantadora, fico honrado com seu convite, mas não tenho com o que pagar minhas despesas.

– Ah! senhor, lhe disse um dos azuis, gente com a sua aparência e seus méritos não paga nunca. Por acaso não tem cinco pés e cinco polegadas de altura?

– Sim, senhores, é minha altura, disse ele fazendo uma reverência.

– Ah!, senhor, aproxime-se da mesa. Não apenas pagaremos suas despesas como não admitiremos nunca que um tal homem não tenha dinheiro. Os homens não são feitos senão para socorrerem uns aos outros.

– Tem razão, disse Cândido. É o que Pangloss sempre me disse, e de fato vejo que tudo é da melhor maneira possível.

Rogaram que aceitasse alguns escudos, ele os aceitou e quis fazer um recibo. Não aceitaram e se dirigiram à mesa:

– Não ama com ternura?...

– Oh, sim!, respondeu. Amo a senhorita Cunegunda com muita ternura.

– Não, disse um dos homens. Queremos saber se não ama com carinho ao rei dos búlgaros.

– De jeito nenhum, disse, nunca o vi.

– Como! É o mais charmoso dos reis e devemos beber à sua saúde!

– Oh! Com o maior prazer, senhores – e bebeu.

– Basta, disseram. O senhor é o apoio, o sustentáculo, o defensor, o herói dos búlgaros. Sua fortuna está feita e sua glória está assegurada.

De imediato, lhe colocaram grilhões nos pés e o conduziram ao regimento. Forçaram-no a virar à direita, à esquerda, introduzir a vareta e socar a carga no cano de um fuzil, reintroduzir a vareta, dormir na pontaria, atirar, dobrar o passo. E lhe deram trinta golpes de bastão. No dia seguinte, fez os exercícios um pouco melhor e recebeu apenas vinte golpes. Dois dias depois, bateram-lhe apenas dez vezes e foi olhado por seus companheiros como um prodígio.

Estupefato, Cândido ainda não discernia muito bem por qual razão era um herói. Um belo dia de primavera decidiu sair a passeio, andando sempre em frente, crendo ser este um privilégio da espécie humana, bem como da espécie animal, de servir-se de suas pernas como melhor lhe aprouvesse. Não havia caminhado duas léguas e quatro outros heróis de seis pés de altura o alcançaram, o amarraram e o colocaram numa solitária. Perguntaram a ele, juridicamente, o que preferiria: ser fustigado trinta e seis vezes por todo o regimento ou receber simultaneamente doze balas de chumbo nos miolos. Argumentou que as vontades são livres e que não desejava nem uma nem outra coisa – era preciso haver uma escolha. Decidiu, portanto, em virtude do dom de Deus que chamamos liberdade, passar trinta e seis vezes pelas chibatas. Suportou duas rodadas. O regimento era composto por dois mil homens, o que resultava em quatro mil golpes de chibata, os quais, da nuca ao traseiro, descobriram seus músculos e nervos. Como fossem passar à terceira rodada, Cândido, não suportando mais, pediu por misericórdia: que tivessem a bondade de lhe quebrar a cabeça. Obteve este favor. Vendaram seus olhos e o colocaram de joelhos. O rei dos búlgaros passou neste momento, informou-se a respeito do crime do paciente e, como este rei tinha um grande gênio, compreendeu, pelas informações

Avaliações de Cândido, ou o Otimismo

[gazzy_1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Classic modern fable exploring the once popular philosophy of 'everything now is exactly as it should be and for the best' with comedic results.

[terrapinjetta_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Absolutely hilarious, and extremely easy to read as well.

[wenestvedt_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I saw this at the Guthrie Theater in the late 80s and it was great; the story still holds up.

[schufman · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Very enjoyable, especially for a philosophical stint. Definitely a book I will want to read several times over to digest, but for an initial reading it was fairly light.

[xiaomarlo · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Hilarious! Ever since reading The Baroque Cycle (or at least the first two books and the first half of the third one) I've loved this historical period, and it's clear Stephenson wrote it with Candide in mind. It's silly, clever, and risqué, and you can read it in an afternoon.

[signature103 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Very funny. Cynical. This edition was a please to read. Not great realistic storytelling but that wasn't the point of it, now was it.

[dandelionroots · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

In a constant barrage of hilarious, yet fairly accurate to history horror show: another war between the french and the english, the Lisbon earthquake and the inquisition's response to it, colonialism; Candide barely survives "this best of all possible worlds" according to his philosophy professor and a popular doctrine of the time period proposed by Leibniz (the argument not being that this world is free of evil, but given our species, it's the best we can achieve - for if we were capable of optimizing our world in any facet, God would have created that one instead). His experiences teach him that humanity is shit overall:"Do you believe that men have always slaughtered each other as they do today, that they've always been liars, cheats, traitors, ingrates and thieves, weak, fickle, cowardly, envious, greedy, drunken, miserly, ambitious, bloodthirsty, slanderous, lecherous, fanatical, hypocritical and foolish?Do you believe that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they find them?"But in too small doses it does redeem itself individually. He ends with hope."Man cannot obliterate the cruelty of the universe, but by prudence he can shield certain small confines from that cruelty." Cultivate your garden!Pretty keen on Voltaire now.

[omgully · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Great book. However, the Bantam Classic edition is only an ok translation. I got my copy for cheap. It tells the story but I'm sure there are other more scholarly translations I would choose if I were to read it again.

[bookomaniac-1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Zeker mooiste verhaal van Voltaire. Episodisch opgebouwd, maar met duidelijke lijn: de Bildung van Candide; ontluistering van het verhaal van Pangloss en tussendoor de traditionele stokpaardjes van Voltaire.

[jmoncton_1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Interesting satire - wonderful narration.

[deltaqueen50 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Candide by Voltaire is a humorous satire featuring the ultimate optimist experiencing life from so many different angles that this optimism is sorely tested. First published in 1759, the main character is Candide and he and his various companions travel around the world from Europe to South America and eventually settle on a small farm outside of Constantinople. They experience amazing adventures and dangers and Candide’s personal motto of “everything in the world is for the best”, taught to him by his beloved mentor, becomes questionable by characters and readers alike.Voltaire’s style is often called absurd satire due to both the humor and the exaggeration that he inserts into the story. There has been so much written about this literary masterpiece that I won’t even begin to try to explain or analyze it in my meagre words, but, I can say that I was both surprised and delighted with this book. I read this in the form of installations and I looked forward to receiving a new section and learning what would happen next. The author missed no opportunity to skewer the religion, politics, morals and lifestyles of his time, and he put his characters into the most outrageous and outlandish situations that you really never knew what could possibly happen next.Candide is entirely accessible and highly readable. Voltaire gives his readers the gift of laughter, both at life in general and the people it contains. This “road-trip” book is short, entertaining and downright brilliant.

[ifionlyhada · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

What a humorous ride. I really enjoyed this classic. Candide learns many lessons of Loyalty, Love, Trust and Money. It is so well written, it was fun to read.

[varwenea · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Without context, this book reads like a series of unfortunate events. (Hey – that’s another book! Haw haw.) With context, this brilliant little book is a biting satire where Voltaire spared no opportunity to poke fun at every thought and event that he found wrong with society in the 1700’s. Voltaire challenged the idea endemic in his days, that ‘all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds’. Back of book: “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 a the recent earthquakes in Lima and Lisbon – not to mention the questions of illness and man-made war.” Voltaire was 64 years old when he wrote Candide in 1758. He was internationally recognized as a satiric genius, which also meant the government is none too pleased with him, resulting in two stays in the Bastille, flogging, and exile. Fun stuff for being a genius – yikes!In the book, Voltaire takes us through a journey of pain and suffering, coping and recovering, or simply death in many cases. Murder, rape, butchering, imprisonment, forcibly drafted into army, beatings, hanging, earthquake, drowning, slavery, prostitution, cannibalism, swindles, dethroned kings, living with false smiles, forced into priesthood, and much more. At times, Candide pauses and wonders if ‘All is for the best’ is a logical view. I can’t decide if I would characterize Candide as being naïve in addition to being kind. The latter he definitely is, never hesitating to share his fortunes, however few it may be at times. For the sake of completeness, I will slap him once, for his callousness when he no longer wished to marry Cunegonde because she has become ugly. :P The ending, its simplicity, is satisfying. It mirrors quite a bit to life – less talking, more doing – something I find myself saying too.Having seen Candide, the operetta, and by chance, was at the New York Public Library (Main) when they had a special exhibit of Voltaire’s original manuscripts, I wonder what took me so long to pick up the book. As an aside, the earthquake of Lisbon is readily the event that altered the course of the country’s history, ending its naval powers, sending its monarchy to the mountains (literally), and left the country behind its neighbors throughout history. Its downtown, wharf area is still sparse to this day. It’s pretty amazing that Voltaire saw through the B.S. then. Quotes – illustrating the powers of Voltaire’s words – witty, sharp, dripping with sarcasm, dipped with duality:Re: Sex – The ‘innocent’ Cunegonde seeing the action. The roundabout verbiage is immensely hilarious.“One day Cunegonde was walking near the house in a little coppice, called ‘the park’, when she saw Dr. Pangloss behind some bushes giving a lesson in experimental physics to her mother’s waiting-woman, a pretty little brunette who seems eminently teachable. Since Lady Cunegonde took a great interest in science, she watched the experiments being repeated with breathless fascination. She saw clearly the Doctor’s ‘sufficient reason’, and took note of cause and effect. Then, in a disturbed and thoughtful state of mind, she returned home filled with a desire for learning, and fancied that she could reason equally well with young Candide and he with her.” Re: Man-Made War – Eloquently compared to hell, and note the last two words– ‘heroic butchery’, Chapter 3.“Those who have never seen two well-trained armies drawn up for battle, can have no idea of the beauty and brilliance of the display. Bugles, fifes, oboes, drums, and salvoes of artillery produced such a harmony as Hell itself could not rival. The opening barrage destroyed about six thousand men on each side. Rifle-fire which followed rid this best of worlds of about nine or ten thousand villains who infested its surface. Finally, the bayonet provided ‘sufficient reason’ for the death of several thousand more. The total casualties amounted to about thirty thousand. Candide trembled like a philosopher, and hid himself as best he could during this heroic butchery .“Re: The Atrocities and Brutality of War – Voltaire painted this searing image of a ravished village, Chapter 3.“It was now no more than a smoking ruin, for the Bulgars had burned it to the ground in accordance with the terms of international law. Old men, crippled with wounds, watched helplessly the deaththroes of their butchered women-folk, who still clasped their children to their bloodstained breasts. Girls who had satisfied the appetites of several heroes lay disemboweled in their last agonies. Others, whose bodies were badly scorched, begged to be put out of their misery. Whichever way he looked, the ground was strewn with the legs, arms, and brains of dead villagers.”Re: Disease and its genealogy, with bonus humor on chocolate. Following the passage on the genealogy of Pangloss’ syphilis/pox (which is entertaining too), I found this even more amusing. How the times have changed that a disease can travel the world, as did the bird flu so much faster these days than in the 1700’s, Chapter 4: “For if Columbus, when visiting the West Indies, had not caught this disease, which poisons the source of generation, which frequently even hinders generation, and is clearly opposed to the great end of Nature, we should have neither chocolate nor cochineal. We see, too, that to this very day the disease, like religious controversy, is peculiar to us Europeans. The Turks, the Indians, the Persians, the Chinese, the Siamese, the Japanese as yet have no knowledge of it; but there is a ‘sufficient reason’ for their experiencing it in turn in the course of a few centuries.” If only Voltaire knows about the Catholic Priests’ sex scandals today(!), Chapter 11.“I am the daughter of Pope Urban X and the Princess of Palestrina.*”“*Notice how exceedingly discreet our author is. There has so far been no Pope called Urban X. He hesitates to ascribe a bastard to an actual Pope. What discretion! What a tender conscience he shows! [Voltaire’s note.]” Suicide vs. Living – such a painful choice sometimes, Chapter 12:“I have wanted to kill myself a hundred times, but somehow I am still in love with life. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps one of our most melancholy propensities; for is there anything more stupid than to be eager to go on carrying a burden which one would gladly throw away, to loathe one’s very being and yet to hold it fast, to fondle the snake that devours us until it has eaten our hearts away?” Candide breaks in Chapter 19, upon hearing the negro’s story of this life with chopped off hand and chopped off leg:“What is Optimism?”“It’s the passion for maintaining that all is right when all goes wrong with us.”No peace for men, from Martin, the pessimist, Chapter 20“A million regimented assassins surge from one end of Europe to the other, earning their living by committing murder and brigandage in strictest discipline, because they have no more honest livelihood; and in those towns which seem to enjoy the blessings of peace and where the arts flourish, men suffer more from envy, cares, and anxiety than a besieged town suffers from the scourges of war, for secret vexations are much more cruel than public miseries. “ Re: Men’s Character – Candide vs. Martin, the pessimist, Chapter 21“Do you think that men have always massacred each other, as they do today, that they have always been false, cozening, faithless, ungrateful, thieving, weak, inconstant, mean-spirited, envious, greedy, drunken, miserly, ambitious, bloody, slanderous, debauched, fanatic, hypocritical, and stupid?”“Do you think that hawks have always eaten pigeons when they could find them?”“Of course I do.”“Well, if hawks have always had the same character, why should you suppose that men have changed theirs?”Re: Money doesn’t buy happiness, Chapter 25“You must admit that there is the happiest man alive, because he is superior to all he possesses.”“ Don’t you see that he is disgusted with everything he possesses? Plato long ago said that the best stomachs are not those that reject all food.”

[salonniere · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

When I promised myself to read as many of the classics as possible and give works of that category a special preference, Candide waited at the top of my list. Short in length but not laughs, this book served as probably my clearest introduction to satire, and who better to lead the way into the genre than Voltaire himself? Trapped in a critique of unbridled optimism, the characters suffer one tragedy or cruelty after another - and yet, though powerful in delivering the point, somehow through all the misery the tale still abounds with moments of hilarity. Timeless questions of the human experience parade throughout the story, disguised under layers of sarcasm and wit. Readers may feel shocked one moment, but need only turn a few pages to laugh out loud. As a quick, entertaining, yet covertly heavy read, the piece makes a great entry point to the work of satirists - or just a masterful diversion into "the best of all possible worlds," depending on your perspective.

[hovercraftofeels · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

I'm not sure why it took me so long to pick up Candide and after finishing the book, I'm definitely upset with my younger self. This is Voltaire at his cattiest and it makes for great reading. He spares no one in his attacks against religion, philosophy, society, and romance. Candide is the protagonist, although readers will find he feels more like a whipping boy. He is painfully naïve and has been indoctrinated by his philosophy teacher Pangloss to believe everything happens to a man for the sole purpose of transporting him to a better situation. Naturally, Voltaire plays with the Leibnizian philosophy by putting Candide into extremely horrible situations and showing the character to have no belief other than things must keep happening so that an even better situation will befall him. Voltaire also shows his readers the hypocrisies of religion and the ironies of claiming to love someone whom you do not truly know. This is a quick read mainly because it is so fast paced and entertaining. Through word play and excessive gore, it's nearly impossible to set down the book. My only complaint with Candide is the simplicity of its content, but when one considers this as it was originally intended, as a barebones and intelligent satire, it's not exactly fair to expect better chapter transitions or less abrupt scene changes. Voltaire has succeeded in producing a rhetorical monster applicable to any age which also functions as an engaging novel.

[alcracka · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Dizzying! Voltaire moves fast. Now Candide's in El Dorado in Paraguay...three pages later he's in Venice. I have the impression Voltaire gets bored easily.

And I don't think it would hurt to read this twice: once with all the footnotes and once without. They're important; this is one of those books that references a ton of other crap, so you're better off learning about it. But they slow the story down, of course; my guess is that I spent about as much time reading footnotes as I did reading the story itself. And that's particularly damaging with this book, because (as I said) it's a breakneck story.

I started to re-read it on the spot, but that was too soon. I got bored. Maybe in a few months.

Anyway...yeah, man. I really liked this. I thought it was super awesome dope.

[karl6steel · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

My fourth time reading it?

Teaching it this week (for the 3rd time).

For plot summaries, see reviews below.

Does Candide falter? Yes: Voltaire turns his attention to the literary scene in Paris for 5-7 pages (which means: 5-7% of the book). We can laugh at Voltaire inserting himself and his fellow writers into the book, but given the grand scope of the rest of the narrative, the insertion looks, and is, self-indulgent. Probably the clearest sign of the failure of those scenes is that they are by far the most difficult to teach.

One wonders, however, about a philosophical novel written by a professional philosopher that ultimately destroys the legitimacy of doing philosophy, and one wonders--I wonder--about the novel's final, pessimistic promotion of political quietism. For those of you who think that 'tending one's garden' means a happy ending, remember what happens to the Baron and his family at the book's beginning....

Oh, this edition is quite nice: a great deal of supplemental material saves on photocopying when you teach it. Recommended above the Dover edition or the regular Penguin edition...

[brakketh-1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Tragedy and comedy presented in sharp contrast satirising the optimism of certain philosophies.

[cecrow · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

A complete and utter failure! Voltaire presents us with the premise that this is the best of all possible worlds, but only evil befalls his poor characters: scandal, conscription, rape, murder, pillage, mutilation, disease, disaster, inquisition, genocide, adultery, slavery, shipwreck, kicks in the backside, you name it. What the author was thinking of, I can scarcely imagine. I'm going back to my garden now.

[stef7sa-1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Still funny, this sarcastic, cynical tale about the innocent young man learning about the ways of the world the hard way. "Why then was the world created?" " To drive us mad!"

[erickibler · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Voltaire obviously took a dim view of the value of human life.

The story follows the globe-trotting misadventures of a naive commoner, Candide, and his quest to marry the beautiful Cunegunde, who is the daughter of a Baron. His compatriots include the philosophers Pangloss ("We live in the best of all possible worlds! Everything is for the good!") and Martin ("Everybody is miserable and always will be"), the faithful sidekick, Cacambo, and the one-buttocked old woman (How did she lose a buttock? Read the book!) .

The characters endure the worst suffering the world has to offer: war, the Inquisition, people being mutilated, eaten, burned alive, hanged, sold into prostitution and galley slavery, con men, thieves, you name it. Yet somehow they convince themselves that life is worth living. Candide at one point finds himself in the mythical South American paradise El Dorado, yet leaves because he is troubled by dissatisfaction. He feels, in order to be happy, the need to lord his newfound wealth over others less fortunate.

The characters end the story on a farm, seeking a moderate contentment through hard work which keeps them from thinking overmuch about their condition. Reading this book makes me feel pretty good, actually. As pessimistic as I sometimes am, I find much more satisfaction in life than Voltaire seems to.

[la2bkk · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

For good reason, Candide is considered one of the true "must reads." Centuries after its writing, the book remains current not only in its concise, easy reading style, but also in its message about human nature. An all time favorite.

[benjamin.duffy · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I think that Candide is probably the type of book that enriches the reader the deeper he or she delves into it. It would probably reward repeated readings. It would probably reveal deeper layers of satire and absurdity if it were read in the original French. It would probably take on deeper shades of meaning if it were read in conjunction with any of the commentaries that have been written about it over the past 250-odd years.

Having said that, I'm not going to do any of those things. I have way too many books on my plate to reread this book any time in the next year; the limits of my French (one year of college French, an ex-wife who was fluent) would make reading it in that language a brutal, dictionary-in-hand chore; and I generally dislike reading books about books, so commentaries are right out.

So, I didn't dig too deeply into Candide, instead just reading it as the absurd tale it was, not looking for too much meaning beyond the surface. And you know what? I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was like Forrest Gump, only with a little less faith in humanity and a lot more murder, rape, cannibalism, zoophilia, and child prostitution. It was full of pitch-black humor, and the breezy, matter-of-fact way in which some of the horrific situations were described only served to make it funnier.

Unsurprisingly, this was a super dark book, and an angry one, full of scathing satire. It served up a double middle finger salute to pretty much everyone: nobility, clergy, self-styled intellectuals, real intellectuals, commoners, the French, the Germans, the English - nobody escapes Voltaire's poison pen. Virtually everyone is portrayed as stupid, dishonest, self-serving, small-minded, and hypocritical. Religion and government receive the brunt of Voltaire's onslaught; it isn't hard to see why this book was banned in so many places for so many years - even well into the 20th century in parts of the United States.

This was a fast, hilarious, exhilaratingly bitter read, and just the thing to top off your misanthropy tank if it's ever running low. Fine family fun!

[elosoblanco · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

This was not at all what I thought it would be. The read was interesting, and heavy on the satire. The theme is easily understood and carried throughout the work, and it's a relatively quick read. Read this if you have a couple of hours to spare.

[enosis-1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

I was pleasantly surprised with how a book that was first published in 1759 can still be relevant and enjoyable.

Candide is Voltaire's answer to the philosophy of Optimism, which was founded by Leibniz. Optimism says that all is for the best because God is a benevolent deity, or "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds".

In this very short, concise, and fast paced story, we follow the adventures of Candide who spent his life living in a sheltered and luxurious environment. During that period, his mentor Pangloss indoctrinated him with Leibnizian Optimism. When Candide leaves his home, he is slowly and painfully disillusioned as he witnesses and experiences great hardships around the world.

Voltaire takes us from place to place in a rapid succession, putting Candide in all sorts of extraordinary situations, using caustic humour, satire and sarcasm to ridicule religion, theologians, governments, armies, philosophies and philosophers. His obvious target is Optimism, where in order to argue his point he uses many devices such as describing a devastating earthquake "as one of the most horrible disasters 'in the best of all possible worlds'".

Although Optimism might seem outdated or not that much relevant today, its core message is what most religions are about. They (religions) maintain that our world is indeed perfect, since it was created by an infallible supreme being. Therefore, everything happens according to god's plan and intentions, or "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds". I know, it sounds ridiculous, because it is, but here we are 250 years after the book was written and the things that Voltaire ridiculed haven't changed a bit!

Tip: pay attention to the names of the characters early on in the book, as the fast pace of the story makes it easy to lose track of who is who.

TL;DR "Immediately after its secretive publication, the book was widely banned because it contained religious blasphemy, political sedition and intellectual hostility hidden under a thin veil of naïveté." [Wikipedia]. What's not to like? :)

[miguelnunonave · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Historically interesting satire against the set of France's enlightenment period. Main character is just what it says - candid. Great if you love philosophy.

[figre · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Reading older classics is always an interesting proposition. You have the challenge of translation. You have the challenge of societal changes. And you have the challenge of a different human condition. However, when a classic is truly a “classic”, you also have a work’s ability to transcend those issues with a tale that is, at its core, about human beings – human beings we can relate to no matter what ancient trappings they live in.Candide pulls this off. Yes, a lot of the references are old. And we can’t completely empathize with such struggles as the Spanish Inquisition or long sea voyages or debates among Socinians and Manichaeans and other Christian sects. But we can understand the inner turmoil of someone struggling to understand why bad things happen to “good” people.And, again in spite of the impact time has had on the relevance of some of the material, the satire is still spot on. Sure we don’t have royalty and landed gentry. But it is very easy to translate these into today’s politicians and businessmen.No, it is not a perfect book. Time has had too much time to make its changes. But it still has relevance. And it has relevance without being preachy. In other words, still a lot of fun to read.

[robrod1_1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

It is a rather depressing book, but it is interesting, and it will raise a multitude of questions in your head.

[steadfastreader · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

It's a sweet little satire. Easy and fun, it reads like a fable. I'm not sure that I get the more complicated satirical meanings - seeing as how it was written in the eighteen century... but it's definitely full of quips that you could use.

[jsamaha-1 · Nota: 2 de 5 estrelas]

I know that I'm supposed to love Candide. I know that it is a classic and brilliant and satirical and everything else that has ever been said about it. Really, I do know that but I just didn't like it.

I get that Voltaire was trying to prove a point with the adventures and beliefs of Candide but the story was just so negative. I felt so bad for poor Candide. It was hard for me to continue reading knowing that Candide was just going to have more outrageously horrible things happen to him.

Before you yell at me, remember that I know the purpose of Candide's story. Voltaire was living during a time of great philosophical thought and he was using this story to satirize the politics and religious fervor of the mid eighteenth century. I just felt that as a novel (novella?) it was not very enjoyable. Voltaire comes across as so negative. I may read Candide a second time (especially when I am not dealing with the flu) and give Voltaire a second chance to charm me.