Der Fremde

German language

ISBN:
978-3-499-22189-7
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4 stars (14 reviews)

L'Étranger (French: [l‿e.tʁɑ̃.ʒe]) is a 1942 novella by French author Albert Camus. Its theme and outlook are often cited as examples of Camus' philosophy, absurdism coupled with existentialism, though Camus personally rejected the latter label.The title character is Meursault, an indifferent French Algerian described as "a citizen of France domiciled in North Africa, a man of the Mediterranean, an homme du midi yet one who hardly partakes of the traditional Mediterranean culture." He attends his mother's funeral. Weeks later, he kills an Arab man in French Algiers, who was involved in a conflict with one of Meursault's neighbors. Meursault is tried and sentenced to death. The story is divided into two parts, presenting Meursault's first-person narrative view before and after the murder, respectively. In January 1955, Camus wrote this:

I summarized The Stranger a long time ago, with a remark I admit was highly paradoxical: "In our society any man …

83 editions

reviewed The outsider by Albert Camus (Penguin twentieth-century classics)

Review of 'The outsider' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This book has left me thinking about the apathy, fatalism and almost the complete lack of affect by the protagonist, Meursault. I understand it is a commentary, as the back of the book says, on the "absurdity of life" but a life without ambition or feeling strikes me as very incongruous.

Review of 'The Stranger' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Instantly captivating story. Very easy to read, although that may be partially because I enjoy shorter books! I can definitely relate to Meursault and the way he reacts to people and how he thinks about things. Coincidentally the second 1940s novel I've read this summer; enjoyed it much more than Sheltering Sky, although both seem to reflect the existential makeup of the WWII era.

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