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The Facts About Albert Camus |
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French-Algerian novelist, essayist, and dramatist |
| Birth | November 7, 1913 |
| Death | January 4, 1960 |
| Place of Birth | Mondovi, Algeria (now Drean, Algeria) |
| Known for | Philosophical works exploring themes of revolt, the absurdity of human existence, and the individual’s alienation within society |
| Milestones | 1930 Enrolled in the University of Algiers as a philosophy student and contracted tuberculosis, which kept him in poor health throughout his life |
| Mid-1930s Started a small theater company and began playwriting, directing, and acting | |
| Late 1930s Worked as a reporter for the Alger-Républicain and in 1937 published a book of essays, L’envers et l’endroit (The Wrong Side and the Right Side, 1968) | |
| 1942 Published his first novel L’étranger (The Stranger, 1946), and the philosophical essay Le mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus, 1955) | |
| 1943 Began writing and editing for the left-wing newspaper Combat in Paris | |
| 1944 Published the plays Caligula (translated 1958) and Le malentendu (The Misunderstanding, 1958) | |
| 1947 Published the novel La peste (The Plague, 1948), a story about efforts to ease the suffering brought about by an epidemic in Algiers | |
| 1951 Published the essay L’homme révolté (The Rebel, 1951), his philosophical account of the history of revolution | |
| 1957 Published L’exil et le royaume (Exile and the Kingdom, 1958), a collection of short stories | |
| 1957 Won the Nobel Prize in literature | |
| Quote | ‘Mother died today. Or perhaps it was yesterday, I don’t know.’ The Stranger (1946) |
| Did You Know | Camus held a variety of jobs during the 1930s, including stints as a meteorologist and a car parts salesman. |
| During World War II, Camus was a prominent figure in the French Resistance. | |
| Camus was a member of the Communist Party during the 1930s, but withdrew when he became disillusioned with its ideology. |
