Author

Voltaire

Voltaire — one title in the rankings.

Editor’s note The great wit of the French Enlightenment: philosopher, playwright, historian and tireless campaigner against religious intolerance, who wrote more than two thousand books and pamphlets. Candide, from 1759, published anonymously and promptly banned, follows a naive young man taught that this is the best of all possible worlds as he survives war, the Lisbon earthquake and the Inquisition; it ends with the famous advice that we must cultivate our garden. Short and savagely funny. His other works have too few ratings here.

Ranked titles: 1 book
Average score: 7.6
Total ratings: 718
First published: 1759