author's works

Albert Camus   French novelist, essayist, and playwright, Albert Camus was born in 1913. His father died the following year in the war. His early experiences in Algeria dominated his thought and work, as can be witnessed in from his first novel "The Stranger" published in 1942 to his last, Exile and the Kingdom, in 1957. Like many of his contemporaries, he was disillusion from the violent wars of Europe. His novels and philosophical texts attack similar issues: the profound isolation of humankind in an alien, uncaring universe, an isolation which results in estrangement of the individual from himself and ultimately evil between men. Can there be meaning and truth to such an existence? Ironically his life was cut short by an automobile accident in 1960. He received the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature.     The Stranger The Stranger is not merely one of the most widely read novels of the 20th century, but one of the books likely to outlive it. Written in 1946, Camus's compelling and troubling tale of a disaffected, apparently amoral young man has earned a durable popularity (and remains a staple of U.S. high school... Read more     The Plague The Nobel prize-winning Albert Camus, who died in 1960, could not have known how grimly current his existentialist novel of epidemic and death would remain. Set in Algiers, in northern Africa, The Plague is a powerful study of human life and its meaning in the face of a deadly virus that sweeps... Read more     The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays (Vintage International) Sartre said this book should be read as you read The Stranger, and I have found that advice to be valuable to my students. My kids are always a bit bewildered about the scene where Mersault kills the Arab, but when they read, "The greatest good is the greatest consciousness," they begin to... Read more     The Fall Elegantly styled, Camus' profoundly disturbing novel of a Parisian lawyer's confessions is a searing study of modern amorality. Read more   More books by Albert Camus

articles and reviews

from THE NEW YORK TIMES- April 26, 1994 Camus's Last Work, a First Draft, Shows His Life and His Style By ALAN RIDING, Special to The New York Times PARIS, April 25 Inside a mud-stained briefcase found near the site of the car crash that killed Albert Camus on Jan. 4, 1960, were 144 pages of almost indecipherable handwriting that made up the first draft of the early chapters of a novel based closely on his life. His widow, Francine, decided against publication. Camus had won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1957, but at the time of his death at the age of 46 he was on poor terms with Jean-Paul Sartre and other Left Bank luminaries, and she feared publication of the rough text would expose him to more attacks... [more] from THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS - January 15, 1998 The Outsider A review of Albert Camus: A Life by Olivier Todd and translated from the French by Benjamin Ivry It has to be said that this English version of Olivier Todd's book is not altogether satisfactory. According to an introductory note, "Some material not of sufficient interest to the American general reader has been omitted to improve the narrative flow." Actually, a volume some 800 pages long in French has been reduced to 400 pages in English, and it is difficult to tell on what principle the abridgement has been made, because the sections that have been removed often seem of no less importance or interest than those that have been left in. Besides, if the American reader bothers to read foreign books, it is surely in the hope of discovering the possible interest of things with which he is not already familiar... [more] from THE NEW YORK TIMES- October 6, 1996 Stricken By Stephen Spender A review of 'The Plague" ''The Plague'' is parable and sermon, and should be considered as such. To criticize it by standards which apply to most fiction would be to risk condemning it for moralizing, which is exactly where it is strongest. ''The Plague'' stands or falls by its message. The message is not the highest form of creative art, but it may be of such importance for our time that to dismiss it in the name of artistic criticism would be to blaspheme against the human spirit. What we have to judge is the urgency, for us, of M. Camus' morality. It seems to me to be of so much urgency that we would be wrong to ask how much significance people may attach to it tomorrow. There are certain things which need to be said now, without care for the future, and these are said, even with naivete, in ''The Plague.'' ... [more]

resources

Existence of Albert Camus, The - The Existence of Albert Camus: An excellent source of information on Albert Camus, the novelist, playwright, and philosopher, including a biography, photo gallery, bibliography, analyses, quotes, bookshop, and links. Existentialism and Albert Camus - "Katharena Eiermann's tribute to existentialism and Albert Camus. Site includes biography, essays, articles, photos, quotes and links to related sites on the WWW." Critical Interpretation Homepage: Albert Camus - Includes a selection of essays by Camus himself and a short but fairly detailed biography, as well as material on Camus' work by others. Extract from The Rebel - Brief excerpt from the famous non-fiction work. Life and Works of Albert Camus - Brief notes on the literary and philosophical works. A Page About Albert Camus - A page with links to people interested in and information about Albert Camus. Contains a bibliography, links to other Camus pages, and a list of people looking for Camus-related information. Absurd Hero, The - An overview of Camus' book "The Myth of Sisyphus." Book Review: The First Man - Review of Camus' novel by David Cook, from the online journal CTheory. Albert Camus - timeline and links (at Corduroy). Existentialists: Albert Camus - Outstanding fan site with a biography, review of his major works, quotes, links and bibliography of books about Camus. Camus: An Overview - Fan site with details about Camus life and each of his major works, including the often overlooked plays. Includes related links. Quotations (5) -- Excerpts - Longer excerpts from books and articles by Camus. MVS Albert Camus Page - Animated cartoon inspired by The Myth of Sisyphus Hemingway and Camus - An essay about the similarities of these two writers, focusing on "A Farewell to Arms" and "The Outsider", with comments on the nature of perceived similarities in literary criticism. Camus Studies Association - Brief outline fo the CSA's goals. Membership form available. In both French and English. Albert Camus: The Stranger - Site includes biography, works, excerpt, picture, and quotes of Albert Camus. Skellarlist Albert Camus - New and Used books for sale. Includes some very hard to find editions. Includes French-language editions. Online Article - "Difficult choices for France's most reluctant existentialist." By Roger Kaplan(author Albert Camus' existentialism and its conflict with his moral beliefs. Insight On the News, March 2, 1998 Quotations (2) - Three quotes from a searchable index of quotes. Stranger, The (Outsider, The) - Provides plot summary, thematic essays, character descriptions, and other commentary on the novel. Includes a brief biography of Camus. Albert Camus PageFirst Man, The (Discussion Guide) - Discussion guide with study questions, from Vintage Books reading groups site. Quotations (1) - Collection of quotes on various subjects such as reading, marriage, and virtue. Quotations (4) - From "The Write Site" Grave of Albert Camus - Thousands of pictures of notable graves, as well. You can search by name, location or claim to fame. Minotaur, The - A brief essay by Camus. Quotations (5) - Quotes from a fan site. Stranger, The (Senior, Literature) - Online lesson plan for high school seniors. Includes study questions for each chapter. Albert Camus - Brief introduction featuring a biography, major works, and mentions of his themes and style Myth of Sisyphus, The - The mythological story of Sisyphus. Excerpt from Camus' book of the same name. Book Review: Albert Camus:A Life - Review of the biography by Olivier Todd Notebook on Albert Camus - Collection of miscellaneous links SPIKE magazine interviews Catherine Camus - SPIKE's exclusive interview with Catherine Camus, daughter of the Nobel prize winning novelist and philosopher, Albert Camus. Albert Camus (1913-1960) - Biography of novelist/playwright/philosopher Albert Camus, plus links to all of his works currently in print. Albert Camus Photo Gallery - Online collection of Albert Camus pics. Myth of Sisyphus, The - Brief summary article about this non-fiction work. Albert Camus Forum Frigate - Discussion forum and live chat devoted to Camus'life and works. Stranger, The - "ClassicNotes" - Full "cliff-notes" style summary and analysis of Camus' "The Stranger." Includes a biography, message board, and background information on The Stranger. Albert Camus Reader -- books, interviews, reviews, sites, discussions - Comprised mostly of related links Biography of Albert Camus - Brief bioography by the Swedish Nobel Academy. Nobel Lectures - Literature 1957 - Albert Camus' acceptance speech for the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature. See Also: Society > Philosophy > Philosophers > Camus, Albert Search for "Camus, Albert" on All the Web -  AltaVista -  Direct Hit -  Goto -  Infoseek -  LookSmart -  Webcrawler -  Yahoo! Category editors: meseverin

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