Candide: or, The Optomist (1759) by Voltaire

We will be meeting at 7.00pm, at the usual place, upstairs at the Shakespeare Hotel, 200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, on Thursday August 7. We will be discussing *Candide (*1759) by the famous Enlightenment French philosopher, Voltaire.

This is a very funny and philosophical story that follows a young man’s journey through a chaotic and often absurd world.

It explores optimism, human suffering and general silliness.

The Shakespeare Hotel is a lively pub in Sydney’s inner west, but the semi-private rooms upstairs are conducive to conversation. We will be meeting upstairs in the Two Tables room (look for the sign or ask at the bar). Getting to the room requires walking up two small flights of stairs.

The Shakespeare is a 10 min walk from Central train station, almost opposite Surry Hills Light Rail, and local parking is reasonable.

The format of the meeting is that we talk about the book for 50 mins in a fairly focused way. All books have been suggested by the group. After that, the meeting is formally closed. Almost everyone stays back to talk more about the book, or other books, or anything else! A $5 donation is requested to cover the horrendous fees charged by MeetUp. First-timers and those of limited means don't have to contribute. I am not keeping tabs.