Zadig

An oriental philosophical tale, 'Zadig' traces the adventures of the titular character, a man renowned for his 'just and moderate mind' and 'sincere and noble heart'. But his gifts give rise to jealousies in others that expose him to the vagaries of fate...

Appointed prime minister, then disgraced and driven out of Babylon, Zadig, like all the heroes of fairy tales, is drawn into an initiatory journey that will take him from the banks of the Euphrates to Egypt; reduced to slavery, then freed by his master, he will cross Arabia and Syria. Faced with a thousand obstacles that put his reason and his optimism to the test, Zadig discovers that it is not easy to be happy.

With this book, Voltaire, faithful to his theological concerns, poses the problem of evil and Providence, as he traces the life of this character who will come to say: 'that there is no evil from which good is not born.'

'Zadig' is perfect for fans of Voltaire's 'Candide'.