Candide and Zadig

De: Voltaire

Narrado por: Neville Jason

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.

Candide traces the fortunes of its titular character, a staunch optimist who eventually becomes disillusioned by a series of hardships and misfortunes. Zadig likewise follows its main character Zadig, a Babylonian philosopher, as he is subjected to the whims of Fate and the machinations of those around him.

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It is Voltaire After All

Two interesting stories used by Voltaire to highlight many of the absurdities of Western culture and beliefs. Nothing is sacred and he seems to reveal his opinions on many topics through his characters' mocking of revered institutions. A bit of the emperor's new clothes in calling out things that many of us are thinking but afraid to say for fear of being looked down upon by the elite.

A brilliant portrayal of a timeless classic.

The narrator Neville Jason gave new life to Voltaire’s words and additional meaning and cause for reflection to a work I read for the first time over 50 years ago.

Really Enjoyed This, More than I Expected

This is a fun and entertaining story, a nice diversion from the longer more serious novels and books I have been listening to. Definitely check it out! Had some amusing philosophical thoughts and sayings, narration is quite enjoyable in my opinion. Remember to tend to you garden.

Loved it!

The books were insightful and thought provoking. Very easy and enjoyable listen. Smiled and laughed as I listened to Candide.

Highly recommended

First things first: the narrator, Neville Jason, is wonderful. With an extremely pleasant voice and impeccable diction, he takes care to give each character a clearly distinct voice and accent. So if you're looking for a reading of Candide and/or Zadig, this one is a great choice.

As for the books -- enough has been written about them in the past 250 years, so I'll keep my review to the bottom line. Candide is a masterpiece. Like Gulliver's Travels with a punchline. Very very good. The ending is brilliant and still inspiring after all these years. Zadig is a little less to my taste, though still very well written. The central question in it seems to be "how can bad things happen to good people" and the answer given is "God works in mysterious ways". I personally like Candide's reply to this better.

Horible reading

Very heavy British accent and extremely fast reader, total ruin of Voltaire's masterpiece