Un amour de Candide

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