The Plague by Albert Camus
Author in Depth: Albert Camus The Plague (1947) Translated by Stuart Gilbert My Quick Take: A rich and evocative examination of a plague that ravages a North African town, this showed Camus’ ideas of “revolt” in the face of an absurdist universe. *** Camus broadly wrote in three “cycles” in his work: Exile ( The Stranger , The Myth of Sisyphus and Caligula ); Revolt ( The Plague, The Rebel, The Just Assassins ); and Love (which was never finished because of his untimely death in a car accident). With The Plague (Fr: La Peste ), I’ve come to Revolt, and so far I find it a satisfying place indeed. Critics note that Camus’ language in The Plague is to the point and straightforward, and this may be the case, but I found it altogether a richer (though not necessarily better) reading experience than The Stranger. As beautiful as The Stranger was, this book feels deeper, more empathetic, more forgiving. And I’m sure that’s purposeful, or at least my mind is superimposing that mean...
