Three different books to “The foreigner”, “The plague” or “The happy death” to remember Albert Camus

Albert Camus was born in November 1913. (Design from photographs: Jesús Avilés/Infobae).

The name of Albert Camus It has not lost its validity since he died in January 1960, leaving behind a work worthy of debate and constant rereading. He knew how to be one of the most outstanding writers of his time and his contributions to literature, theater and philosophy are indisputable.

Born in Algeria, but nationalized French, Camus came to this world in November 1913. He knew how to work novels, essays and theater scripts in his literary career, and he did so with such good judgment that in 1957 he was awarded the Prize Nobel Prize for Literature, for his work as a whole that “highlights the problems that arise in the conscience of today’s men”, as highlighted at the time by the Swedish Academy.

Albert Camus
Albert Camus

When we talk about Camus, we also talk about three books in particular: Abroad, Plague Y the happy death. They are the ones that have managed to cultivate more readers over time, in all languages, but the truth is that reducing his work to these three titles is discrediting his production, and the fact is that the Frenchman was so prolific in his literary work that attending Reading each of his books is a complete experience.

At Infobae, on the occasion of the commemoration of his birth, we have selected three different books from the usual three to remember the writer 109 years after his arrival in this world.

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THE MYTH OF SYSYPHUS (1942)

book cover "The myth of Sisyphus", by Albert Camus. Courtesy: Penguin Random House.
Cover of the book “The Myth of Sisyphus”, by Albert Camus. Courtesy: Penguin Random House.

This is the founding essay of the philosophy of the absurd, one of the most important works of Albert Camus. Published in 1942, the same year that Abroad. The title of the essay refers to a character in Greek mythology who angered the gods by his extraordinary cunning and was condemned to perpetually push a huge stone up a mountain. Upon reaching the top, the stone fell back to the valley, from where Sisyphus had to push it back to the top, and so on forever.

Through this allegory, Camus discusses issues such as suicide and the value of life, presenting Sisyphus as an image of the useless and incessant effort of man. In this way he raises the philosophy of the absurd, according to which our lives are insignificant and have no more value than what we create. The world being so futile, Camus asks, what alternative is there to suicide?

Font: Penguin Books

THE REBEL MAN (1951)

"the rebellious man", by Albert Camus. Courtesy: Penguin Random House.
“The Rebel Man” by Albert Camus. Courtesy: Penguin Random House.

It is the classic study of rebellious thought in which Camus takes a journey that goes from the illustration to the revolutions of the 20th century, analyzing movements such as anarchism or nihilism, delving into their ideologies and trying to decipher their paradigms. Since its publication, the book has not stopped being a controversial document. It explores the link between political rebellion and aesthetics, based on what was said by philosophers such as the Marquis de Sade, Karl Marx or Friedrich Nietzsche.

THE FALL (1956)

book cover "The fall", by Albert Camus. Courtesy. Penguin Randomhouse.
Cover of the book “The Fall”, by Albert Camus. Courtesy. Penguin Randomhouse.

Originally published in 1956, The fall It is the third novel by Albert Camus and the last one that saw the light in the author’s lifetime. It consists entirely of the confession that the narrator and protagonist, Jean-Baptiste Clamence, makes to a silent listener over several days in the city of Amsterdam, and his extensive monologue focuses on the events that led him to embrace nonsense. existential.

One night, on his way home to Paris, Clamence passed a bridge where he saw a girl leaning over the parapet. She immediately heard her throw herself into the water, but did nothing to help her. Since then, he has lived gnawed by guilt and has not stopped falling on his own moral scale. In this torn man, the author undoubtedly reflects a post-war society that struggles with its ghosts, while searching for a vital center and true justice.

Font: Penguin Books.

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Three different books to “The foreigner”, “The plague” or “The happy death” to remember Albert Camus