“Your nature is to do evil; mine is to love the truth and publish it despite you.” This entry is from Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary, under the entry on Fate. On the 250th anniversary of the publication of Candide, Voltaire’s masterpiece attacking the philosophical doctrine of Optimism made popular by writers like Alexander Pope and Gottfried Leibniz, the New York Public Library has organized Candide at 250: Scandal and Success, examining the many forms and legacies of this bold, satirical tract.
Dr. Paul LeClerc is not only the president of the NYPL, but an integral part of the realization of this exhibition. Comprising borrowed elements but mainly representing a proud acquisition for the NYPL collection — they now own one of only two complete sets of all 17 “original” versions. We caught up with LeClerc on the eve of the opening to talk censorship, connoisseurship, and Catholic school.
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Today at Flavorpill, we channeled our childhood by watching the GI Joe trailer. We decided that if Julian Schnabel keeps dropping the price on his West Village digs, we might have to make an offer. We worried that one day, like the late Ms. Astor, we’ll have a team of prosecutors trying to convince a jury that we were mentally unsound. Although, if we live to see 105, who cares, right? We wished we were shopping Forrest Ackerman’s Blade Runner-filled auction — although we clearly don’t have 100K to blow on a Replicant blaster. We rejected the Ferris Bueller/Fight Club Theory. Hello, what at about Jeanie?? We’re sad that the biggest scoop about Ugly Betty these days involves her braces coming off. Ah, well. We laughed at Old Jews Telling Jokes; Larry Donksy is so cute. And finally we leave with you this clip of Snowball, the incredilble dancing parrot. Watching this could change your life. Or at least make you want to headbang.
