Candide (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)

Candide, Voltaire’s biting portrayal of eighteenth-century European society, is a central text of the Enlightenment and essential reading for history students today. Preserving the text’s provocative nature, Daniel Gordon’s new translation enhances Candide’s read-ability and highlights the text’s wit and satire for twentieth-century readers. The introduction places the work and its author in historical context, showing students how the complexities of Voltaire’s life relate to the events, philosophy, and characters of Candide. A related documents section — with personal correspondence to and from Voltaire — gives students another lens through which to view this influential thinker. Helpful editorial features include explanatory notes throughout the text and a chronology of Voltaire’s life.