Quick Facts
French-Algerian Nobel laureate who confronted the absurd with lucid rebellion, created Meursault and Sisyphus, and died too young leaving behind a philosophy of solidarity against meaninglessness.
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Life Journey
Born Albert Camus on November 7, 1913, in Mondovi, French Algeria. His father, a poor agricultural worker, would die in the Battle of the Marne before Albert turned one.
His father Lucien died from wounds at the First Battle of the Marne. The family moved to Algiers to live with his grandmother. Poverty would shape Camus's entire worldview.
Diagnosed with tuberculosis, ending his hopes of an academic career and competitive football. The confrontation with mortality at seventeen deepened his philosophical preoccupations.
Founded the Théâtre du Travail, joined and left the Communist Party. His theatrical and political engagement in Algiers established patterns that would define his career.
Published his first essays, 'L'Envers et l'Endroit' (The Wrong Side and the Right Side). The Mediterranean essays showed his distinctive voice and concerns.
Published 'L'Étranger' (The Stranger). Meursault, who kills an Arab and feels nothing, became one of literature's most famous characters. The novel made Camus famous.
Published 'Le Mythe de Sisyphe' (The Myth of Sisyphus), his philosophical essay on the absurd. 'One must imagine Sisyphus happy' became his most famous line.
Joined the French Resistance, became editor of the underground newspaper Combat. His editorials called for justice without vengeance, establishing his moral authority.
Published 'La Peste' (The Plague), his allegorical novel of a city under quarantine. The book was read as a parable of Nazi occupation and became an international bestseller.
Published 'L'Homme Révolté' (The Rebel), his philosophical examination of rebellion and revolution. The book sparked his famous break with Sartre and the French left.
His public break with Jean-Paul Sartre over 'The Rebel' divided French intellectuals. Camus rejected revolutionary violence; Sartre could not forgive the rejection.
Published 'La Chute' (The Fall), his dark novel of a judge-penitent in Amsterdam. The bitter, self-lacerating confession reflected his sense of isolation.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature at forty-four, the second-youngest recipient ever. In his acceptance speech, he spoke of the writer's duty to serve truth and freedom.
At a press conference, said he would choose his mother over justice - meaning he could not support Algerian terrorism that might kill his family. The statement was vilified.
Albert Camus died on January 4, 1960, when his publisher's car hit a tree. He was forty-six. An unfinished manuscript, 'The First Man,' was found in his bag.