Literary Evening: Voltaire’s »Candide« and the Best of All Possible Worlds

About the production

Voltaire’s satirical novella “Candide: or, Optimism” was first published in 1759 under a pseudonym, but even today it has lost none of its freshness and relevance. With a biting sense of humour and irony, Voltaire presents his cast of characters, all of whom are searching for happiness in their own ways. At the end of the book, the grandiloquent Professor Pangloss still speaks of “this best of all possible worlds”, but Voltaire closes with these words: “’Well said’, answered Candide, ‘but we must cultivate our garden.’” Can a small garden really be the source of great happiness? In an insightful lecture, Hanjo Kesting will discuss Candide’s absurd journeys of adventure. Kesting will be joined by two actors reading from this masterpiece of Western literature.