Showing results by author "Voltaire" in All Categories

If we were as tiny as ants to another being, what would they make of our philosophies? The great satirist Voltaire imagines alien visitors who have opinions. Bedtime stories are narrated by the world's most celebrated voices and written with no beginning, middle, or end so you don't stay up to hear what happens next. They're interesting enough to give your mind something to focus on, but delivered in a way that encourages sleep.

These two classic coming-of-age stories by Voltaire parody the romanticism of his day with the ruthless wit that has made him the undisputed master of social commentary.

Brought up in the household of a powerful Baron, Candide is an open-minded young man whose tutor, Pangloss, has instilled in him the belief that 'all is for the best'. But when his love for the baron's rosy-cheeked daughter is discovered, Candide is cast out to make his own way in the world. And so he and his various companions begin a breathless tour of Europe, South America and Asia, as an outrageous series of disasters befall them - earthquakes, syphilis, a brush with the Inquisition, murder - sorely testing the young hero's optimism.

Candide est un jeune garçon vivant au château du baron de Thunderten-tronckh qui se trouve en Westphalie. Il a pour maître Pangloss, philosophe qui enseigne la "métaphysico-théologo-cosmolonigologie", et qui professait, à l'instar de Leibniz, que l'on vit dans le meilleur des mondes possibles.

"Zadig" is a work of philosophical fiction by the famous Enlightenment writer Voltaire. It is a delightful mix of political satire and insightful challenge of religious and metaphysical orthodoxy, with its main character undergoing a complete moral revolution while human life is presented as in the hands of a destiny beyond human control. Along with absolute stylistic mastery, Zadig provides insight into the nature of free will, in a story whose fast pace follows the highs and lows bestowed by Fortune on the hero.

"Candide ou l'Optimisme" est un conte philosophique de Voltaire, considéré comme l'un de ses chefs d'œuvre. C'est le récit du voyage de formation d'un jeune homme naïf, chassé du meilleur des mondes possibles à la suite d'une leçon de physique expérimentale. Voltaire y manie l'ironie à l'encontre du conservatisme de la société de son époque. Candide, le jeune homme innocent, après avoir vécu toutes sortes d'aventures autour du monde, finit par se transformer en philosophe.

Candide, is a French satire written in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. One of the finest satires ever written, this lively tale follows the absurdly melodramatic adventures of the youthful Candide, who is forced into the army, flogged, shipwrecked, betrayed, robbed, separated from his beloved Cunégonde, and tortured by the Inquisition. As Candide witnesses calamity upon calamity, he becomes disillusioned and discovers that all is not always for the best....

Candide, the illegitimate nephew of a German baron and student of eternal optimist Pangloss, is living a simple and sheltered life in "the best of all possible worlds." But when Candide falls in love with the wrong woman, his uncle's young daughter, he is exiled from the baron's castle and suffers great tragedy and catastrophe, which leaves him disillusioned and questioning the goodness of the universe.

Tous les événements sont enchaînés dans le meilleur des mondes possibles : car enfin si vous n'aviez pas été chassé d'un beau château à grands coups de pied dans le derrière pour l'amour de mademoiselle Cunégonde, si vous n'aviez pas été mis à l'Inquisition, si vous n'aviez pas donné un bon coup d'épée au baron, si vous n'aviez pas perdu vos moutons du bon pays d'Eldorado, vous ne mangeriez pas ici des cédrats confits et des pistaches.

Voltaire's razor-sharp satire on philosophical optimism, Candide, is coupled here with another of the author's most celebrated works, Zadig. Both challenge the moral and philosophical orthodoxies of the day with humor and sly wit, while parodying the clichéd formulas of so many contemporary novels.

The legendary ironic insightful classic by Voltaire, considered the greatest artistic genius of his era. Introducing the legendary, best-of-all-possible-worlds Pangloss. A whirlwind trip around the globe with irony, wit, insight, genius, and more at each stop.

Candide and his tutor Pangloss travel the globe trying to follow the philosophy "All is for the best in this, the best of all possible worlds". However, they are stung and let down at every turn, being robbed, tortured, and ridiculed, amongst other trials. On hearing about their often disasterous travels, a listener feels unfortunately less than empathetic, and can't help themselves laughing out loud at this very funny account of the trail our optimistic travellers take.

Something between a tale and a polemic, these 'fables of reason' are feats of narrative compression and contain much of Voltaire's best and funniest writing. From ribald tales of adultery to conversations between cosmic travellers, the stories in this collection pose moral, philosophical and social questions. Listener and protagonist alike find their assumptions challenged as Voltaire mingles rationality and fantasy.

Ready yourself for this carefully crafted collection of quotes from some of the greatest minds the world has ever seen! Featuring world-famous playwrights, philosophers, activists, Presidents and physicists, from Churchill and Shakespeare to Gandhi and Einstein, this is an entertaining and inspiring compilation covering everything from Ancient Rome to modern-day Britain.

One of France's greatest writers, Voltaire was frequently persecuted for his ideas and as a result, spent time in the famed Bastille. He fled his native land for England in 1726, at which time he witnessed the differences between the two countries. His celebrated Letters on England was first published in that nation in 1733 and contained 24 succinct letters on subjects ranging from religion and politics, to trade, the arts, philosophy, and science.

"Historia de los viajes de Escarmentado (Escrita por él mismo)" de Voltaire es una novela satírica que sigue las aventuras de Escarmentado, un noble que emprende una serie de viajes en busca de sabiduría e iluminación. A lo largo de su viaje, Escarmentado se topa con una variedad de personajes y experiencias que exponen los absurdos e hipocresías de la sociedad. Desde encuentros con funcionarios corruptos hasta presenciar las locuras de la guerra y la política, los viajes de Escarmentado brindan comentarios mordaces sobre la condición humana y las deficiencias de la civilización.

Micromegas es un cuento filosófico de Voltaire publicado en 1752. Se trata de las aventuras de un habitante (Micromegas) de un planeta del sistema de Sirio y un habitante de Saturno que se instruyen mutuamente y viajan por el espacio en busca de nuevos conocimientos, llegando finalmente a descubrir a los humanos.

The story follows the eponymous hero and his tutor Doctor Pangloss through a series of adventures and misfortunes, all the time doggedly attempting, against the odds, to adhere to the doctor's philosophy that "all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds".

"Zadig ou la Destinée" est un conte philosophique de Voltaire, inspiré d'un conte persan. Voltaire y raconte les mésaventures et les revers de fortune d'un jeune homme né à Babylone. Ce conte se place à la confluence de trois genres littéraires : le conte de fées (mis à la mode par Perrault et les Contes des Mille et une Nuits), le roman picaresque (Zadig décrit une ascension sociale, suivie de coups du sort) et le roman sentimental (Zadig relate les tribulations de deux amants éloignés par la vie).

In this tale of Jeannot and Colin, Voltaire not only tells an instructive tale, warning of the dangers of sudden wealth and social climbing, but also directs his satirical comments at the vacuous and fickle nouveau riche of his day, the catholic church, private education, and society in general. Jeannot and Colin are childhood friends. Both come from working-class backgrounds in a rural part of France, but Jeannot's parents, on a trip to Paris, strike it lucky in business and within a short time become very wealthy.