Candide, by Voltaire

I read Candide over about two days. It was a very easy read considering it was written 255 years ago. I read this book because a respected leader I know often recommends this book as an example of optimism and perseverance in the face of adversity. After first hearing this, I looked it up on the Wikipedia page only to learn that it was written as a satire against the philosophical argument for optimism given by Leibniz.

Could it be true that this leader had completely misunderstood this novel as a satire and took it at face value? I read Candide to find out, and I'm still not sure. It is clearly a satire and Candide, the main character, is ridiculously naive. The book Candide is not at all subtle, with the characters being exposed to rape, hanging, torture, earthquakes, robberies, wars, etc., but Candide the character is still able to convince himself that it is all for the best and it is part of a grand plan.

Read with the proper context, Candide is an entertaining book and laugh-out-loud funny in several places. I also liked it that Voltaire inserted at the end some of his philosophy of life which is that being productive through work is one key to happiness.