"Histoire des voyages de Scarmentado" by Voltaire is a philosophical tale written around 1753. Young nobleman Scarmentado embarks on a formative journey across Europe and beyond, only to encounter religious persecution, political intrigue, and intolerance everywhere he travels. From Rome to England, Spain to Turkey, Persia to China, he narrowly escapes excommunication, execution, and enslavement. Each destination reveals new absurdities of human conflict and fanaticism. This darkly comic picaresque adventure serves as Voltaire's biting critique of intolerance in all its forms, foreshadowing his masterpiece "Candide." (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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