Candide, ou l'Optimisime

The Focus Student Editions are designed for French language courses in literature and culture. Prepared with non-native French speakers in mind, these editions include an introduction (in French), the complete work, and linguistic and cultural notes in French, a current bibliography and study questions.

Candide, Voltaire's picaresque 1759 novel and masterpiece of French satire, follows a naïve young man on his disillusioning journey through life.  Candide's fantastical adventures incorporate many actual historical events, such as the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and the Seven Years' War, as Voltaire parodies religion, governments, the military, philosophers,  and the philosophy of good and evil.