Top 16 Best Albert Camus Books Updated 04 /2024

His work is known all over the world. Albert Camus is a French writer whose work is well known. There have been many translations of his work into English over the years, and one of his best-known works is called "The Stranger," which is also called "The Outcast."

Camus is best known for his writings, but he also fought in the French Resistance and was a philosopher and a thinker, too. He was born and raised in Algeria, which was a French colony at the time he was born. Camus' early life had a big impact on his writing, and he was well-known for being against colonialism. During his time in Algeria, he worked for a leftist newspaper until it was shut down. Then, he moved to Paris in 1940.

By the time Camus got to Paris, World War II had already started in France, so it was already over there. It was when he was 17 years old that he got tuberculosis, so he could not join the army. Even though Camus didn't want to serve his country, he became a member of the French Resistance and worked as an underground journalist for the Resistance newspaper Combat.

In 1957, when he was 44 years old, Camus became the second-youngest person to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. For his "important literary work, which with clear-sighted earnestness illuminates the problems of the human conscience in our times," he was given the prize.

A lot of his writing shows that he had a lot of time to think about philosophy while at the University of Algiers, which is where he studied philosophy. People who write often have troubled personal lives, like him. This person was well-known for having sex with many women over the years. He was only married twice, but he had a lot of affairs.

A car accident with his publisher, Michel Gallimard, killed him. If you want to read books, you should buy them from Gallimard!

I hope I've made you want to learn more. There are five books by Albert Camus you should read and why. Keep reading to find out what they are.

The Stranger (L’Étranger)

L’Étranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus 

It is by far the most well-known book by Camus. It is called L'Étranger, or The Stranger (sometimes The Outsider, depending on the publisher). Camus was clearly influenced by his own personal experiences when he wrote the book, because the story is about a French man named Meursault who lives in Algeria and is in love with a woman. It came out in 1942.

The book also talks about the theory of absurdism, which is the idea that humans live because they try to find meaning in their lives and because that meaning doesn't exist. There is a lot to say, but I said that Camus was a philosopher.

As the story goes, Meursault commits a crime and is then seen as a bad person. As the main character is shown to be emotionless and detached, it almost seems like Camus wants the reader to like him less because of this. Writing style: Camus is known for writing in a way that is easy to read and understand.

For people who like thrillers and who also want to learn more about the theory of absurdism, this book is for them.

The Plague (La Peste)

La Peste (The Plague) by Albert Camus

The Plague, or La Peste, is next in a list of works by Camus that are well-known. This book was written in 1947 and tells the story of a plague that spreads through the Algerian city of Oran.

During the book, it talks about how people can be affected by things like a plague. He likes to show his readers how crazy humans can be, good or bad, in his work.

Part of a series written by Camus called the “cycle of revolt.” This book is part of that series. The show is about how humans try to avoid death and what we'll do to try to avoid it.

You should read this book if: you like dystopian stories.

The Myth of Sisyphus (Le Mythe de Sisyphe)

Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus) by Albert Camus

In your mind, you think that Camus didn't use his philosophy degree. You are wrong! As we said, Camus was a big fan of the theory of Absurdism. That which doesn't make sense. Thus, man's existence is absurd because he has no reason to exist outside of himself. If this makes some people sad, that's because it was not for Camus.

The Myth of Sisyphus is an essay by Albert Camus that was written in 1942. In it, he talks about how we have to live even though we know that we will die (in other words, the theory of absurdism). The myth of Sisyphus, a Greek king who is forced to push a rock up a hill for eternity, is compared to the question of whether humans are alive.

For people who are interested in philosophy and Greek mythology, this book is for them.

The Fall (La Chute)

La Chute (The Fall) by Albert Camus

His last book of fiction, called La Chute, or The Fall, came out in 1956. The book is about a lawyer named Jean-Baptiste Clamence who talks about his life with a complete stranger. As a lawyer in Paris, Clamence rose to greatness, but he also fell. In this book, Clamence talks about how he went from there to nowhere.

A lot of people say that The Fall is the first book in which Camus' true self comes through in his writing. If you read the Bible and think about how man fell from Eden, you might think about this book, too.

For people who like drama, this book is for you. It talks about themes like innocence, existence, and the real world.

The Rebel (L’Homme révolté)

Collection of books by Albert Camus by C. K. Hartman

The Cycle of Revolt is a series of essays I've already talked about. L'Homme révolté, or The Rebel, is one of them. The essay, which was written in 1951, talks about how rebellion has changed in modern society. Camus also wants to sum up and analyze all of the different theories he has written about up until this point in his work.

Humans act the way they do because they are always looking for the meaning of life, even though there isn't one. Camus says that we act out because we are so frustrated with everything.

Want to know more about Camus' ideas? Then you should read this book!

Conclusion

If you want to read some of the works of the French author Albert Camus, there are five great places to start. It's best if you read them in the order that they are on the list. Make sure you have enough books at home by going to your local book store.

French authors and artists have been very well-known for a long time. We have walking tours that you can take in Paris if you want to learn more about them. They know everything about French, so you're sure to learn something. Click here to learn more and book your trip.

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