The Daring Voltaire

Voltaire wrote 50 plays, dozens of treatises on science, politics and philosophy. He was also a historian, penning several books of history on the Russian Empire and the French Parliament. He also had the itch to write poetry. He left a voluminous correspondence of about 20,000 letters to friends and other correspondents.

A veritable literary monster.

Although Candide departs from normal novelistic practice, many critics consider it a timeless work of art; some consider it a masterpiece and a classic. And because it is not a traditional novel, we should not read it as one. We should study it.

Zadig chronicles the adventures of a young Zoroastrian, benevolent and charismatic figure, who reveres the good and the beautiful. Despite incidental amorous detours, Zadig's love for Queen Astarte glows as a paragon of sublime fidelity to woman. Some critics claim the novel is the progenitor of the modern Detective Novel, as it included some deep deductive reasoning.