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I have indeed read Voltaire's Candide in both English and French (as the first time I was reading it for a French literature class at university during my undergrad, I managed to find a great dual language version that I totally loved and which also greatly helped with being able to understand the French text without constantly having to consult a dictionary). And yes, Candide is most definitely one of the relatively few novels that I actually managed to enjoy equally in both languages (where both the French original and the accompanying English translation have felt natural and equally wonderful, equally understandable, especially with regard to Voltaire's satire and social criticism). However, since it has actually been a for me almost insane amount of time since I read Candide in any way thoroughly and not just glancingly, fleetingly (for that French course happened in 1987, more than 30 years ago), and thus do not remember all that much with regard to the specific details, except that I in particular enjoyed the social and philosophical satire, namely Voltaire's rather vehemently but also often sadly funny criticism of the so-called best of all possible worlds philosophy (as proclaimed by Leibnitz and Wolff), I will simply state that Candide is still a favourite with me and for me, and that the author's social criticism (and satire) are as relevant today as they were in the 18th century. For if Candide's world (which is teeming with one horrid disaster after another) and also, if our own world (both now and then), if they represent the best of all possible worlds, what is the worst of all possible worlds?

EDITED TO ADD IN 2018: Now this year, in 2018, I decided to intensely reread Candide (I had downloaded the French text on my iPad and thought that a perusal of one of my favourite university reads would be both interesting and also pleasurable). But while yes, rereading Voltaire's classic in 2018 has been most definitely an interesting and enlightening reading experience, it has also not been all that personally pleasurable and enjoyable in many ways. For precisely that which I most appreciated about Candide as a character in 1987 (namely the way he resigns himself to cultivating his own and individual life, his own and individual garden), now gives me cause for consternation and even some angry frustration. Because does not Candide's resigned attitude of only working on himself and for himself, his final desire to cultivate individuality and thus only his own life and garden at least somewhat reflect the growing and unfortunately global me-first isolationist individualism of countries like for example Kim Jong-un's North Korea and Donald Trump's USA? And thus, with my 21st century eyes (and my annoyance at the state of the world and how the world is in many ways always and forever fighting and fragmenting), it is I believe, most important to now and at present read and consider Voltaire's Candide not only with appreciation but also with more than just a bit of criticism, for at least in my humble opinion, it is not ONLY important to be true to oneself, to live an individually fulfilling life, to tend, to succour and make one's own existence, one's own garden flower, it is also and equally essential and yes, of ever increasing significance and necessity to do this not only individually but also globally, universally (collectively, with the negativity often associated with the latter notwithstanding).