Continental Symposium

Albert Camus

Camus worked as a political activist, writer, and existentialist philosopher. He’s often attributed as the creator of absurdism. Much of his work involves activism and literature in the context of his life being born in Algeria; he identified the ‘absurd,’ the chasm between humanity's desire and the universe's indifference; and identified systems of morality in such an absurd world.

The Stranger and The Plague are his most famous literary works, and Nuptials and The Myth of Sisyphus are his major philosophical works.

Works:

Betwixt and Between (1937) - Essays on searching for meaning in life, poverty, and childhood.

Nuptials (1938) - Essays introducing his concept of the absurd and the nature of suicide and human mortality.

The Outsider (1942) - A story that follows a French Algerian settler, who impulsively murders an unnamed man. It explores the societal pressures on one's actions and delves into Camus’ absurdism.

The Myth of Sisyphus (1942) - A complete account of the absurd and the subsequent human responses to it, and the concepts parallel to the story of Sisyphus.

The Plague (1947) - A story centered in the city of Oran that undergoes a severe plague and quarantine. It explores the power and freedom that humans have as subjects of the world.

The Rebel (1951) - An examination of historical rebellions in light of the absurd he expounds upon in other books.

The Fall (1956) - The story and crisis of a Wealthy and successful French lawyer, in recollecting and introspecting upon his life. It explores the nature of guilt and judgement.

Algerian Chronicles (1958) - Camus’ own opinions on the Algerian war for independence, as a French settler born and raised in Algeria.

Notebooks 1935–1942 (1963) - Personal musings and notes that serve somewhat as autobiography and as a look into Camus’ philosophy.

Notebooks 1942–1951 (1965) - Similar to Notebooks 1935-1942.

Lyrical and Critical Essays (1968) - A collection of essays that contextualize Camus’ philosophical development.

Resistance, Rebellion, and Death (1944 / Posthumous) - A collection of essays closely related to The Rebel, examining rebellion and war particular to his time.

American Journals (1987) - An autobiographical account of Camus’ travels to the Americas

Notebooks 1951–1959 (2008) - Similar to the previous notebooks.

A Happy Death (1971 / Posthumous) - A story that explores the “will to happiness” and asks how one can deliberately create happiness in one’s life.

The First Man (Unfinished) - A relatively less philosophical story around a young boy and his experiences growing up with a disabled mother and no father in Algeria, presumably reflecting on Camus' own upbringing.

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