Albert Camus

by Edward J. Hughes

Winner of the Franco-British Society Literary Prize 2015

Few figures of twentieth-century French culture carry such an air of romance and intrigue as Albert Camus. Though his life was cut short by a fatal car accident in 1960, when he was just forty-six years old, he packed those years with an incredible amount of experience and accomplishment. This new entry in the Critical Lives series offers a fresh look at Camus’ life and work, from his best-selling novels like The Stranger to his complicated political engagement in a postwar world of intensifying ideological conflict. Edward Hughes offers a particularly nuanced exploration of Camus’ relationship to his native Algeria—a connection whose strength would be tested in the 1950s as France’s conflict with the anticolonial movement there became increasingly violent and untenable.
           
Ultimately, the picture Hughes offers is of a man whose commitment to ideas and truth reigned supreme, whether in his fiction, journalism, or political activity, a commitment that has led the man who disclaimed leadership—“I do not guide anyone,” he once pleaded—to nonetheless be seen as a powerful figure and ethical force.

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2015

Reviews

[Joseph Adelizzi, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Physically this book seemed to be a book doing everything in its power not to be read. The binding was so tight that it took determination to keep it opened. Because it was impossible to keep the book wide open as I read, there was always an annoying shadow obstructing a good portion of each right page. Moving the light source or the book did not signal victory since each page was glossy, causing an intrusive glare which made it necessary to rock the book a little as I read each line. With the rocking and the reading, the glare would move back and forth across the page like some unproductive document scanner.

Yet I persisted. And I was glad I did. This little book does not deal much with Camus' life, but it does do a very good job of showing how his ideas, his world, and his words made him who he was. It is a good place to start to get to know Albert Camus - but maybe buy the electronic version rather than cantankerous paperback version I purchased.

Just an aside: This book refers to Camus' The Stranger as The Outsider, a title which I prefer over the one on which I was raised.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Fills out the sparse details I had of the man's life nicely. I was really only aware of a few facts about him. Read the fiction, plus "Myth of Sisyphus" back when I was at school, and prior to re-reading 40 years later, I decided to get a bit of info about the man as a good background before doing so.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I enjoyed about this book was not just the biographical timeline, but how the usther places Camus's various novels, plays, essay, journalism, letters to friends and newspapers, and diary entries into the conversation. We get an understanding of what was animating his life, thoughts, and output. Well done.