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Un amour de Candide

Illustration Etienne Calo (Paris, Gastaud frères, 1945)

On December 20, 1757, Voltaire took up winter residence in Lausanne. There, he wrote part of a “coitonnerie” that would become one of the most widely read, illustrated and transposed texts: Candide ou l’optimisme, the original edition of which went to press in Geneva in 1759.
Jean-Pierre Payot (1914-1984), director of Payot bookshops in Switzerland, was fascinated by this tale and assembled an exceptional collection of Candide , including 10 of the 17 editions published in 1759, as well as a wide range of illustrated editions. Following a donation by the collector’s son, BCUL is delighted to present a selection of this remarkable collection to the public.

Curator Silvio Corsini, former curator at the BCUL

Exhibition from November 9, 2023 to October 19, 2024