With the intrigue of a psychological thriller, Camus's masterpiece gives us the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach.
Behind the intrigue, Camus explores what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd" and describes the condition of reckless alienation and spiritual exhaustion that characterized so much of twentieth-century life.
First published in 1946; now in translation by Matthew Ward
Works, such as the novels The Stranger (1942) and The Plague (1947), of Algerian-born French writer and philosopher Albert Camus concern the absurdity of the human condition; he won the Nobel Prize of 1957 for literature.
Origin and his experiences of this representative of non-metropolitan literature in the 1930s dominated influences in his thought and work.
Of semi-proletarian parents, early attached to intellectual circles of strongly revolutionary tendencies, with a deep interest, he came at the age of 25 years in 1938; only chance prevented him from pursuing a university career in that field. The man and the times met: Camus joined the resistance movement during the occupation and after the liberation served as a columnist for the newspaper Combat.
The essay Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus), 1942, expounds notion of acceptance of the absurd of Camus with "the total absence of hope, which has nothing to do with despair, a continual refusal, which must not be confused with renouncement - and a conscious dissatisfaction." Meursault, central character of L'Étranger (The Stranger), 1942, illustrates much of this essay: man as the nauseated victim of the absurd orthodoxy of habit, later - when the young killer faces execution - tempted by despair, hope, and salvation.
Besides his fiction and essays, Camus very actively produced plays in the theater (e.g., Caligula, 1944).
The time demanded his response, chiefly in his activities, but in 1947, Camus retired from political journalism.
Doctor Rieux of La Peste (The Plague), 1947, who tirelessly attends the plague-stricken citizens of Oran, enacts the revolt against a world of the absurd and of injustice, and confirms words: "We refuse to despair of mankind. Without having the unreasonable ambition to save men, we still want to serve them."
People also well know La Chute (The Fall), work of Camus in 1956.
Camus authored L'Exil et le royaume (Exile and the Kingdom) in 1957. His austere search for moral order found its aesthetic correlative in the classicism of his art. He styled of great purity, intense concentration, and rationality.
Camus died at the age of 46 years in a car accident near Sens in le Grand Fossard in the small town of Villeblevin.
I do plan on reading this book someday to see the writing Albert Camus did. I have not read the original. Wow, this is not my cup of tea. I had a hard time with this story. Meursault never draws me in. He is so distant, it leaves the reader in the cold. He is also an enigma. Is he heartless, or does he care on some level? It seems to me he really has no feelings. I guess back in the 30s or when this was written, an atheist was a shocking character, but now days it’s just another person’s beliefs. It’s not shocking at all. I have met several atheist and the few I know are actually really good people. They believe you are good because you’re human and that’s how humans act. This heartless beast in this story is not a type of atheist I have been around before.
The art does it’s job. It is bright and hot and seems to be the only thing you can feel as a reader. I need to read the book and see how the fuss is about. This graphic novel did not make me a fan of this work. It is like anti heart. Blah.
Όμορφος χρωματισμός, ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία όπου ο Καμί προσφέρει έναν υπαρξιακό μονόλογο με τις απόψεις του πάνω στην θρησκεία, την ματαιότητα της ύπαρξης έως την αδυναμία του συστήματος δικαιοσύνης (στην Αλγερία αλλά η κριτική προφανώς επεκτείνεται σε γενικότερο πλαίσιο) κλπ που δεν έχω διαβάσει από το βιβλίο οπότε δεν μπορώ να κρίνω την ποιότητα της προσαρμογής. Όμως, είτε φταίει η μετάφραση είτε όχι, οι διάλογοι ήταν πολύ απλοϊκοί και τα κείμενα έδιναν μια εντύπωση πρόχειρης επιμέλειας, ενώ το σχέδιο του Φεράντεζ μου φάνηκε εξίσου ερασιτεχνικό, στατικό και ανά σημεία (ειδικά στα κοντινά των προσώπων) κακότεχνο με τα πάνελ που περιείχαν κινήσεις να πονάνε περισσότερο.
Συνολικά, μια μέτρια προσπάθεια που δεν αξίζει τα χρήματα που τιμολογείται, καλύτερα να διαβαστεί δανεικό. Αν κάποιος το επέλεγε για να μάθει τι πραγματεύεται ο "Ξένος" του Καμί, ας πάει κατευθείαν στο αρχικό υλικό.
The artwork is outstanding, the use of watercolors mixed with the more traditional pen work helps set the tone. The characters emotions can be seen flashing in their faces and the dream sequences are unreal. The artist's work in this and other GNs is often displayed in galleries, I can see why. Too bad the actual story is such a downer, but I wasn't expecting happiness from a Camus story.
''Σήμερα πέθανε η μαμά.. μπορεί και χθες, δεν ξέρω...'' Στο πρώτο μέρος η εικονογράφηση δεν με εντυπωσίασε στο δεύτερο ανεβάζει στροφές. Στα σίγουρα θα ψάξω το έργο του Καμυ να το διαβάσω μιλάμε για διαμαντάκι.
“Mama died today. Or maybe yesterday; I can't be sure.” --Meursault
I mainly read this illustrated version of Camus’s classic text because I saw it on the new Graphic Novels shelf yesterday, but I have always said it was one of the best books I ever read. Not that I have ever “loved” it as one loves family and the great outdoors. I read much of the works of Camus in my youth in the sixties, as I did the work of other existentialist authors, post-WWII works that questioned the meaning of existence in the face of millions of lives lost in that war. With that background, Camus once said that the only significant philosophical question was suicide. In Camus’s The Myth of Sisyphus, too, he questions the nature of striving for meaning, which seems to him inherent in mankind.
The Stranger portrays an enigmatic man who, days after his mother’s funeral, begins a relationship with a woman, Marie, but soon after commits a senseless crime. The focus of the action of half of the book is Meursault’s calmly, and seemingly indifferently, sitting through his trial only to hear himself condemned to death. His last human interaction is with a priest who tries to “save” his soul, about which the atheist Meursault says, “I had only a little time left and I didn't want to waste it on God.”
Facing death, having confronted the priest angrily, he considers:
“It was as if that great rush of anger had washed me clean, emptied me of hope, and, gazing up at the dark sky spangled with its signs and stars, for the first time, the first, I laid my heart open to the benign indifference of the universe.
To feel it so like myself, indeed, so brotherly, made me realize that I'd been happy, and that I was happy still. For all to be accomplished, for me to feel less lonely, all that remained to hope was that on the day of my execution there should be a huge crowd of spectators and that they should greet me with howls of execration.”
I haven’t read The Stranger for decades. I am not exactly sure how I think of it now based on this illustrated version, (though I can say the artwork is well done, and the excerpts Ferrandez chose seem to me apt for the purpose of getting at the heart of the book). I’m not an atheist; I think I might best be described as an agnostic who tries to live an ethical existence in the search for meaning. I don't feel a kinship with Meursault. But this reading has encouraged me to re-read the entire trilogy—The Stranger, The Plague, and The Fall. As I recall, while The Stranger is compelling, The Plague is the best of his work, moving and inspiring. We’ll see.
Δευτερη αναγνωση του Ξένου (αυτης της μεγαλης στιγμής του μεγαλου ουτως ή άλλως Καμύ), μεσα απο την οπτική του γκραφικ νόβελ αυτη τη φορα, η οποια ηταν πολύ ενδιαφερουσα.
Στα συν η πολύ ομορφη εικονογράφηση, ιδιαιτερα εντυπωσιακή στις προσωπογραφίες, όμως εμενα κυριως με εντυπωσιασε το ποσο ομορφα σε εβαζε στην εποχη και στον τόπο. Οι τοπογραφίες του δηλαδη ηταν το κατι άλλο- και πολύ σημαντικές για την εισαγωγή στο κλίμα και στο πνευμα του εργου - τοσο δηλαδη που στο βιβλιο δεν ειχα μπει, δεν το ειχα αισθανθει.
Στα μειον, η αντικειμενική περικοπή σε κειμενο και χρονο μ΄ εκανε να μην νιωσω το βαθος των συναισθηματων που συνετλεστηκαν στην αναγνωση του αντιστοιχου βιβλιου - περιπου το ιδιο που παθαινουμε με τις ταινιες, σε σχεση με το βιβλιο. Επισης, επειδη στο γκραφικ νοβελ εχεις την εμπλοκή της εικονας στην υποθεση (παλι θα αναφερω το παραδειγμα των ταινιων) ηταν σαν να εβλεπα μια συγκεκριμενη οπτική - αυτη του σκιτσογραφου- η οποια ηταν διαφορετική απο την δική μου και το πώς ειχα αντιληφθει εγω τον Ξενο στο βιβλιο, την υποθεσή του αλλά και τον ίδιο τον πρωταγωνιστή.
Εντυπωση μου εκανε μεγαλη που τον εδειχναν συχνα να ιδρωνει, οταν βρισκοταν αντιμετωπος με τις άβολες καταστασεις, κατι που με ξενισε εντελως, γιατι για μενα η ολη ουσια του βιβλιου ηταν αυτη η αδιαφορια του στα αιτηματα και στις επιταγες της κοινωνιας - σε καταστασεις δηλαδη που θα επρεπε να νιωθει κ α τ ι εκεινος παρουσαζε ακριβς αυτη την χαρακτηριστική απουσια συναισθημάτων που εξοργιζε τους γυρω του - μια κοινωνιοπαθεια, μια παθογενεια - Επομενως εκει κυριως ηταν για μενα fail.
Συνολο τρια αστερια για την αποδοση της υποθεσης, το τεταρτο για την ομορφη εικονογραφης. Πραγματικά αξιολογη. Χαιρομαι που επεσε στα χερια μου
This was my first time reading this classic. This graphic novel has made me interested in reading the original in hopes of finding more meaning in the text. 3 stars because I'm royally confused.
This story is about a man named Meursault who lives in France. One day his mother dies and he goes to her funeral. He is emotionless. He returns home and reacquaints himself with a lady by the name of Marie. They go on a date. Meursault has a neighbor, Raymond who may or may not be a former boxer, but now works in a warehouse. Raymond has a mistress that he likes to beat up. Meursault ends up getting involved with Raymond's drama and kills a man.
Meursault is convicted of murder and faces the guillotine. During the entirety of the book Meursault shows little emotion until the very end. In which he says, "Everyone is privileged and everyone is guilty! Don't you understand that you're also condemned to death."
Meursault is a stoic person. A man of little words and so he takes his sentence without a fight. It bothers me that he isn't effected more than he is. I mean he is hoping he will be set free, but not in a extremely fearful way. Most people would be in complete hysterics to learn that they were about to die. But Meursault takes it in stride almost philosophically. Like in the above quote, Meurault doesn't fear death because it happens to everyone. He will miss the birds, the sky and the sea.
The last sentence really confused me, "I only hope there will be many, many spectators on the day of my execution...and that they will greet me with cries of hatred." What does this mean?
Like I said above, I am interested in reading the original, in hopes of finding more to the story. Overall I enjoyed the illustrations in this graphic novel and the story was interesting.
Albert Camus- Yabancı'nın çizgi romanı. Çizimler çok güzeldi.Türkçe'ye piyasaya yeni girdiğini düşündüğüm Kurukafa yayınları tarafından çevrilmiş. Meraklısına
Confession time: I checked this ebook out from the library thinking I was borrowing the actual Camus book. But the graphic novel was not an unpleasant surprise! The artwork was absolutely gorgeous, and the short length made for a nice palette cleanser after some long reads. Some scenes felt a bit jarring without the context of a true narrative format, and the best parts were the lines of narration that were Camus’s own words. I’m not sure this is a story that lends itself well to a graphic novel adaptation, but I think the author and illustrator did a nice job of a very difficult task.
Εκπληκτική μεταφορά του "Ξένου". Η εικονογράφηση ταιριάζει πάρα πολύ με το στυλ της ιστορίας και το κείμενο που έχει συμπεριληφθεί καταφέρνει να μας μεταδώσει την ουσία του πρωτοτύπου και το πνεύμα του Καμύ άψογα.
The artwork did such a fantastic job of extending the narrative. The scenes that covered the murder were especially effective. One of my favorite stories of all time. Leaves me feeling so satisfyingly futile.
Albert görüp okusaydı eminim çok beğenirdi:) … Defalarca okuduğum ve okumaya devam ederek eskiteceğim rafın demirbaşlarından. … Raymond gibiler hep dışarda ve esas derdi bu türümüzün:((
A precious gift from a friend who's studying sociology. An amazing graphic novel! It's easily noticable how the artist has spent a great deal of effort for it. Having read the novel twice, I kept wondering how someone other than me would depict Meursault in his mind. Totally enjoyed my time! Thank you dear friend
Çizgiler güzel; renkli tonlar, geniş kadraj çizimler, Kuzey Afrika ve sıcak tasviri güzel.
(-Kitabı elime alır almaz ilk merak ettiğim çok seyin müsebbibi meşhur sıcak sahnesiydi-)
Öte yandan Yabancı'yı okumamışlar için; grafik romanın kitabın ruhunu yansıtabilecek nitelikte olduğu kanısında değilim. Zaten kitabın böyle bir amacı olduğu kanısında da değilim. Hatta uyarlama grafik romanların asla böyle bir amacı olmaması gerekliliğine inanıyor, yaşamımı buna adıyorum.
Sarı ışığı beyaz ışığa tercih ediyor ve gamzeli kızları çok çekici buluyorum. Ama üstteki paragrafla birlikte bunların hiçbiri kitapla ilgili değil. Evet.
Özetle; güzel çizimler, güzel renkler..
(1) Kitabını okuyup sevdiyseniz, (2) grafik roman seviyorsanız; okuyun..
Not: Meursault'nun tipini sevmedim. Direk Camus'nün kendisi ya da benzeri çizilse abes mi olur diye düşündüm. Bi sonuca varamadım. Buyrun sohbete..
I picked this up from the library on a whim; the name Albert Camus rang a bell but I could not place it. I loved the artwork in this, it was beautiful. It also carried the story very well and helped mold the narrative in a more concise way. I'm still not too sure about the message of the plot, but I have a couple theories.
I know this is a graphic novel based off of an original story by Albert Camus, so upon finishing it I looked it up. This graphic story has made me want to pick up Camus' original and see what I can make of it, and just learn more about Camus in general. Really enjoyed this and would recommend; go in with an open mind and see what you can interpret.
Camus classic novel is illustrated by the beautiful art of Jacques Ferrandez. The images remind one of fading watercolors from a dream of summers past; perhaps the last images that came to Meursault as he contemplated: “I realized then that a man who had lived only one day could easily live for a hundred years in prison. He would have enough memories to keep him from being bored.”
Wonderful little edition of a complex book. The illustrator, Jacques Ferrandez, hails from Algiers and he puts his heart and soul in this book about a "soulless" man. Truly great illustrations that track Camus' classic. Well worth the time.
I must confess that I did not read the original version of this famous book yet. Instead I took the easy route of reading this graphic version. Also, this is the first Camus’ book I am reading. Once I finished this book one of the first thought came to my mind was “I really don’t know what all the fuss is about”. Surely, I must be missing something which so many others can clearly see and celebrate."
So, I tried really hard to analyze and look for any hidden philosophical meanings behind Meursault’s unnatural detachment and outlook towards life. Nothing extraordinary came to my mind. I have seen people like Meursault in my life and at times I have behaved like that sometimes. Is that’s the point? I don’t know.
Story happens in colonial Algeria where people were still being publicly executed by guillotine. Is the book special because it makes the protagonist conceive ideologies that are non-conventional and blasphemous for the time? Or is it’s the pure absurdity.
I really liked the dialogues that happen between Meursault and the Chaplain about God and his(her) need in anybody’ life as a source of morality. Other than that, I couldn’t figure out what the point of this book was.
Things the prosecutor consider to portray Meursault’s character and moral values to the jury is totally unjust. But more bizarrer that that is Meursault’s motive for the crime and his desultory efforts to defend himself.
Since I know the plot now, not sure If I will ever read the actual book. Let us see.
Woe is me.... I feel inadequate in that, despite a wide education, I seemed to have missed the original version of THE STRANGER. But having read this version twice, I am going to reach out and say that I superficially understand what happened, but as I had to I read this twice I am not really interested in even attempting to read Albert Camus' original version to even see if I could grasp the deeper meaning that I am sure intended.
To review this version... I found it beautifully illustrated. The use of color to show the heat makes it relative and believable... and it is clear that each illustration is critically considered for what emotion is supposed to be shown. Sadly, I see why Meursault is a stranger and lonely. His ability to empathize with those around him is lacking greatly. I did have trouble understanding the repeated mention of the heat... it was mentioned over and over and was indicated in the illustrations. So I assume in the original book the heat is more of a factor in the actions taken or not taken by Meursault.
Perhaps he was suffering from heatstroke when he killed the man? After all the illustrations rather indicate this is to be assumed...
The book is what it is.. and my review is based only upon my level of enjoyment...
Yabancı'yı Kurukafa yayınlarının çekilişinden kazandım. Gelir gelmez okudum. Çizimleri baskısı şahane. 😍 Ben daha çok manga okumaktan keyif alırım fakat bir türlü yıldızımın barışmadığı çizgi romanların sonunda Yabancı'yı okurken "Bitmesin." demeye başladım. 🙈 Özellikle çizimlerine bayıldım. Başından kalkamamamın sebebi de bu olsa gerek. Çok güzeldi. Bir ara tekrar okuyacağım. 😍
Kitabını okumadığım için her iki romanı karşılaştıramayacağım. Ne denli iyi aktarıldığını bilemiyorum yalnız kesinlikle kitabını okumak, Meursault'un bu kayıtsız görüntüsünün altında yatanlara daha bi inceden şahit olmak istiyorum.
Kitabını okuyanlar hikayeye aşinadır zaten yine de ben çizgi roman üzerinden şöyle bi değinmek istiyorum.
Meursault'un annesinin vefatıyla başlıyor. Hikaye boyunca duygusuz denilebilecek aslında sadece her şeyi anlamsız bulan bir karakter var karşımızda. Onun için her şey, ölüm de yaşam da anlamsız, manıksız. Ne zaman ki özgürlüğü elinden alınıyor o vakit anlıyor her şeyi. O an anlam kazanıyor. Hani hep kaybedince anlarız ya değerini bir şeylerin. Meursault da yaşamın, sevmenin, mutluluğun değerini anlıyor ve diyor ki "İlk defa her şeyi kendime bu kadar yakın hissediyorum ve nihayet kardeşçe... Anlıyorum ki mutlu olmuşum geçmişte. Şimdi de mutluyum yine."
Meursault learns of his mother's death, and travels to her nursing home for her funeral. Then he goes with a group to stay together for a few days, and, during the time there, he shoots and kills a man. Meursault goes to trial, and he is judged more about his perceived lack of character than for the murder itself, and he is sentenced to death.
That's the plot of the story. But the profound aspect of this book is Meursault himself. He is a character like no character I've encountered in literature. He seems unemotional, feeling little for his mother or his girlfriend or his friend. He appears to have no personal principles for acting or refusing to act in the world, whether it is to put his mother into a home, or to help a friend get revenge on a woman, or to get married, or, even, to kill a man. He is a stranger to the world. It was a deeply uncomfortable read. Neverthless, the character of Meursault seems deeply true, if horrifying.
The Stranger will go on my shelf of Awful-But-Brilliant books.
Side note: This is a graphic novel of The Stranger. The graphic novel format was perfect for this story, I think. I read it on my e-reader, which now has a way to zoom in on each panel of the graphic novel, adding to the isolation of the character.
I first read The Stranger in 2001. I enjoyed it then, but have much more appreciation for it the second time around. The young Monsieur Meursault is the main character. In all things, he is very intentional in his indifference. The story begins with the death of his mother. Her death is mostly an inconvenience. When his girlfriend proposes marriage, he consents only because it makes no difference either way. His employer offers a promotion in Paris in which he replies, "I told him I was quite prepared to go; but really I didn’t care much one way or the other." The recurrent theme throughout the story is that nothing matters. That is, until we reach the end where Monsieur Meursault is sentenced to death. There is no indifference in death. The confrontation between the Priest and Meursault in his cell was revealing.
There are some great themes for discussion which this short little book draws out.
L'auteur a réussi à nous faire exaspérer en dépeignant l'attitude de Meursault. Objectif réussi : on ne s'en sort pas indifférent et toujours avec autant de questionnements. Les dessins sont somptueux. Attention cependant, il est inutile de lire cette BD avant d'avoir lu le chef-d'oeuvre de L'étranger dans sa version intégrale. Celui qui pense faire un raccourci se fourvoierait sans condition.
I love the original text. I think that illustrating the story imposed too much visual sympathy on Meursault, blunting the almost nihilistic apathy that Camus so deftly established within the character. If you want a simplification of the story this will work, but the underlying psychology of the novel is missing.