[ book tip by Translated Tips ] Klaus Zeyringer writes about the German edition of "Candide"
Absorbed with fantastic interpretations of the world, Don Quixote embodies an extreme form of human conduct. A similar figure, one no less unlikely to be encountered in the future, was created by Voltaire: Candide is the hero of a satire full of sparkling wit and exceedingly bitter irony. Set in the 18th century, he travels through many countries in search of enlightenment and no matter how awful the calamity he faces, he utters his Leibnizian precept: we live in the best of all possible worlds. On his quest for the elusive Cunégonde, Candide, who is accompanied by his tutor Pangloss, experiences all sorts of catastrophes.

The novel focuses on the rigidity arising from having a fixed idea. Apparently philosophical remarks have the upper hand over unpleasant empirical difficulties. Indeed even when the naive Candide escapes execution, he proclaims he has been hung because there was no better solution. What is “enlightened” proves to involve the logic of a string of phrases, such as found in Candide’s tenet: “…private misfortunes are public benefits; so that the more private misfortunes there are, the greater is the general good”. A trust in formulaic expressions that is sure to lead to false facades in the future as well.

[ book info ] Voltaire, : Candide. Dover Thrift Editions, 1991 (original first 1759 ) . ISBN: 0486266893.