{"product_id":"candide-9780553211665","title":"Candide","description":"\u003ci\u003eCandide\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in \"the best of all possible worlds.\" On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimism that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan. Fast, funny, often outrageous, the French philosopher's immortal narrative takes Candide around the world to discover that -- contrary to the teachings of his distringuished tutor Dr. Pangloss -- all is not always for the best. Alive with wit, brilliance, and graceful storytelling, \u003ci\u003eCandide\u003c\/i\u003e has become Voltaire's most celebrated work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eVoltaire (Fran?ois-Marie Arouet)\u003c\/b\u003e (1694--1778) was one of the key thinkers of the European Enlightenment. Of his many works, \u003ci\u003eCandide\u003c\/i\u003e remains the most popular. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter Constantine\u003c\/b\u003e was awarded the 1998 PEN Translation Award for \u003ci\u003eSix Early Stories \u003c\/i\u003eby Thomas Mann and the 1999 National Translation Award for \u003ci\u003eThe Undiscovered Chekhov: Forty-three New Stories.\u003c\/i\u003e Widely acclaimed for his recent translation of the complete works of Isaac Babel, he also translated Gogol's \u003ci\u003eTaras Bulba\u003c\/i\u003e and Tolstoy's \u003ci\u003eThe Cossacks \u003c\/i\u003efor the Modern Library. His translations of fiction and poetry have appeared in many publications, including \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker, Harper's, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eParis Review. \u003c\/i\u003eHe lives in New York City.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bantam Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50655550538002,"sku":"9780553211665","price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_868e8a45-4fd1-4c01-b13c-8610da41828f.jpg?v=1748522991","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/candide-9780553211665","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}