Few works in the Western canon are as sharp, funny or enduring as Candide.

First published in 1759, Voltaire's short philosophical novel follows its impossibly optimistic protagonist across a world of war, natural disaster, religious hypocrisy, colonial violence and human folly, dismantling the fashionable optimism of the Enlightenment one catastrophe at a time. What begins as adventure gradually reveals itself as one of literature's greatest satires.

Its pace is breathless, its humour black, and its philosophical arguments arrive through absurdity rather than abstraction. This French student edition places the original text alongside historical commentary, illustrations, contextual notes and contemporary documents, making it particularly valuable for readers of French literature, Enlightenment thought or anyone interested in reading Voltaire in his own language.

French-language Didier educational paperback with extensive annotations, historical material and illustrations throughout. Light shelf wear and a clean, unmarked interior.