Candide by Voltaire

Candide is the mature equivalent of The Little Prince. Voltaire, one of the most prominent French philosophers, wrote picaresque fiction. On the surface, it appears to be a story of adventure, discovery, and even romance, but it is actually a serious critique of eighteenth-century French society.

Short tales, such as Candide, rose to prominence as a serious literary genre during this time period, as writers concealed their didactic and philosophical intents behind the short story form. Voltaire used a traveler as his protagonist in order to juxtapose two cultures and allow for "innocent" inquiry about strange concepts.

Readers might enjoy this as a lighthearted short narrative, or they can delve deeper and discover Voltaire's severe criticisms of society at large, which are still relevant and amusing today. This is one of the shortest books on the list and a fantastic place to start if you're unfamiliar with traditional French literature.

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