“Hey, write something about the French elections!”

How do I get political without getting political? By doing what the 18th-century French philosophers did, I guess… use extra irony and turn everything into satire.

One of the masters of irony during the Age of Enlightenment was Voltaire. In 1759, he wrote the biggest parody of his time – Candide, where he criticized every rotten detail of the French society, starting from corruption, the clerics’ hypocrisy, colonies, wars, to social classes…

Read more about Candide here:

French literature #1: Candide by Voltaire – the master of irony

Voltaire narrates the story of a young, naïve man called Candide who believed that “this world is the best of all possible worlds”.

Now, let’s imagine Candide and his travel companion Martin in the 21st century, right after the French elections.

“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re a pessimist.”

“That is because I know what life is,” says Martin; ”Now, let us work without reasoning, it is the only way to make life endurable.”

“Wait a second, before we start cultivating our garden… what can be more absurd than choosing to carry a burden that one really wants to throw to the ground? To detest, and yet to strive to preserve our existence? To caress the serpent that devours us and hug him close to our bosoms till he has gnawed into our hearts?”, Candide asks.

“Candide… go home, you’re drunk.”

“And you’re a pessimist!”

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