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Candide, or Optimism

Voltaire

Candide, or Optimism

Paper book: €16.99

Digital: €4.99

Original publication
1759
Pages
296
Difficulty
Medium
Genres
Philosophy, Humor
Moods
Have a laugh, Think it through, Escape it all
Translated from
French

Book summary

Brought up in a castle in Westphalia, young Candide learns from his tutor Pangloss that “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds”. Thrown out for kissing the lovely Cunégonde, he makes his way through war, the Inquisition, the Lisbon earthquake and the American colonies.

At every disaster, Candide repeats his master's lesson, and Voltaire mocks, with fierce humour, those who want to explain everything. His phrase about “the best of all possible worlds” has stayed in everyone's memory.

Its very short chapters and biting irony make it a tale that is easy to read in the language you are learning.

The plot

一位凡事都有解释的老师。在德国的一座城堡里,邦葛罗斯老师总能为一切找到充分的理由。他年轻的学生老实人对此深信不疑。可是老实人很快就得离开,而外面的世界和那些美妙的课程毫不相像。

The world of the book

从欧洲到南美洲。本书出版于1759年。四年前,一场大地震袭击了葡萄牙的里斯本。整个欧洲都在追问:这个世界真的安排得很好吗?

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