New Year‘s Eve Day vibes.
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I always liked Voltaire for some reason…
I like this illustration (although now that I‘ve noticed that the women are all naked and headless, in contrast to the male gardener, I‘m annoyed!) It‘s a shame I can‘t seem to find the name of the illustrator.
NB: I found it in a pop sociology magazine called Zadig, and not in Voltaire‘s Zadig.
I love finding things in second hand books, even if they are just notes about types of printers!
pickI suspect there's something to be said about a book that hasn't lost any of its relevance for over 250 years. It's been probably 15-ish years since I first read Candide, and it's been my yardstick for every satirical novel I've read since. It has a time and a place, but it transcends both somehow, and you don't need to know the history around it to recognize the ideas it viciously assaults--though knowing the history makes it that much more fun.
pickThis satire was full of wit and a great distraction. (And the cover/flap art on this Penguin Classics edition is fantastic.)
Snagging some outdoor reading time before the storm rolls in
pickThis novel was hard to put down. I was hooked with the adventures of Candide and his hopes of being with Cunegonde. This satire was witty and comical in so many places, yet serious and thought-provoking in others. It really played on the ideas of blind optimism and philosophy. It was definitely a good read.
