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Candide

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"To name Voltaire is to characterize the entire eighteenth century."—Victor Hugo. "Italy had a Renaissance, and Germany had a Reformation, but France had Voltaire; he was for his country both Renaissance and Reformation, and half the Revolution. … His spirit moved like a flame over the continent and the century and stirs a million souls in every generation." – Will Durant. "Not to admire Voltaire is one of the many forms of stupidity." -- Jorge Luis Borges. François-Marie Arouet (21 November 1694 – 30 May 1778), known by his nom de plume, Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment philosopher writer and historian. He used his satirical wit and his vivacious intelligence to oppose tyranny, bigotry and cruelty and to advocate freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the separation of church and state. Voltaire was one of the most prolific and versatile writers in history, writing almost 2000 books and booklets. Candide (Candide, ou l'Optimisme, being the full French title), Voltaire’s most read work, is a savage denunciation of metaphysical optimism, and a rollicking satire of Leibniz’ metaphysical thesis that "all is for the best". Candide, a young man of gentle manners and true judgement, grows up enjoying an idyllic life in the Baron of Thunder-ten-Tronckh’s castle. He is tutored by the famous Dr Pangloss, who asserts that "all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds." Unfortunately, Candide is caught kissing the Baron’s beautiful daughter, and expelled from the castle into the harsh world outside. He and his companions then experience a series of unfortunate misadventures--war, rape, theft, hanging, shipwrecks, earthquakes, cannibalism and slavery. Face to face with evil, his Leibnizian optimism is gradually eroded. Finally, settling down to a simple life on a farm, he discovers the secret of happiness in a quiet and practical life without excessive philosophising. The book famously concludes with Candide’s Il faut cultiver notre jardin: ‘We must cultivate our garden.’

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François-Marie Arouet (21 November 1694 - 30 May 1778), known by his nom de plume Voltair , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his criticism of Christianity, especially the Roman Catholic Church, as well as his advocacy of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. Voltaire was a versatile and prolific writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, and historical and scientific works. He wrote more than 20,000 letters and more than 2,000 books and pamphlets.[10] He was an outspoken advocate of civil liberties, despite the risk this placed him in under the strict censorship laws of the time. As a satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma, and the French institutions of his day. François-Marie Arouet was born in Paris, the youngest of the five children of François Arouet (1649-1722), a lawyer who was a minor treasury official, and his wife, Marie Marguerite Daumard (c. 1660-1701), whose family was on the lowest rank of the French nobility.[11] Some speculation surrounds Voltaire's date of birth, because he claimed he was born on 20 February 1694 as the illegitimate son of a nobleman, Guérin de Rochebrune or Roquebrune.[12] Two of his older brothers-Armand-François and Robert-died in infancy, and his surviving brother Armand and sister Marguerite-Catherine were nine and seven years older, respectively.[13] Nicknamed "Zozo" by his family, Voltaire was baptized on 22 November 1694, with François de Castagnère, abbé de Châteauneuf [fr], and Marie Daumard, the wife of his mother's cousin, standing as godparents.[14] He was educated by the Jesuits at the Collège Louis-le-Grand (1704-1711), where he was taught Latin, theology, and rhetoric;[15] later in life he became fluent in Italian, Spanish, and English.[16] By the time he left school, Voltaire had decided he wanted to be a writer, against the wishes of his father, who wanted him to become a lawyer.[17] Voltaire, pretending to work in Paris as an assistant to a notary, spent much of his time writing poetry. When his father found out, he sent Voltaire to study law, this time in Caen, Normandy. But the young man continued to write, producing essays and historical studies. Voltaire's wit made him popular among some of the aristocratic families with whom he mixed. In 1713, his father obtained a job for him as a secretary to the new French ambassador in the Netherlands, the marquis de Châteauneuf [fr], the brother of Voltaire's godfather.[18] At The Hague, Voltaire fell in love with a French Protestant refugee named Catherine Olympe Dunoyer (known as 'Pimpette').[18] Their affair, considered scandalous, was discovered by de Châteauneuf and Voltaire was forced to return to France by the end of the year.