Early Life
Born in Algeria → land of the blistering African sun and the Mediterranean sea
- Lucien Camus was Camus’ father, who was killed in 1914 (when Camus was 1) during WWI [Battle of the Marne]
- Raised by “deaf” mother [boring - silent - joyless]
- No memories of his father, stories retold by mother
Childhood
Moved to Belcourt with his grandmother after father died, alongside his older brother and mother.
- Belcourt was an industrial district → crowded streets/teens movie theatres (much like Meursault’s balcony)
- Consisted of French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, and Arab people
Noted to be an independent child stricken by poverty (no books, magazines, or newspapers - these cost $)
- “In Africa, the sea and the sun cost nothing,” - Camus
Favorite activities: wandering streets of Algiers, swimming at beaches, and playing goal keeper for a soccer team.
- “All my work comes from a few intense images […] the warmth of the sun…pleasures of swimming…these are positive reasons for existence…” - Camus
Health Issues
- Elementary school → guidance scholarship to H.S. in Algiers
- 1930 (shortly before 17th birthday) contracts TB
Almost died and periodically afflicted for many years (bedridden - repeated a year of school)
- Deepened awareness of death which impacted the rest of his life
Goal: University professor [philosophy]
- Graduated with a philosophy degree BUT denied opportunity to teach
- Tested positive for TB again, employment looked dim
“The absurdity of a person’s life occurs when the routine that characterizes each life is irrevocably shattered,” - Camus
Employment
- Meteorologist: making an inventory of weather data (recorded at 355 weather data over a period of 25 years)
- French Algerian Government: issuing driver permits → fired (wouldn’t stick to administrative writing style)
Politics
Algeria ruled by France since 1830
- Pied-noir (literally “Black foot”) a Frenchman or European born in Algeria
- 1930s worldwide depression (Arab population suffering from extreme poverty)
- The Stranger depicts Arabs of Algeria: no political or social identity
Camus wrote controversial articles calling attention to the injustices facing Arabs (became known as someone who did not follow the majority)
Writing
The Myth of Sisyphus
- The main essay in a collection of essays
- Greek mythological figure condemned by gods to spend eternity pushing a rock to top of a hill - only to watch it roll down to be pushed up again
”How can people condemned to such a meaningless existence find meaning in life?”
Writing
The Plague (1947)
- Based on experiences in the fight against the Nazis
- Camus was editor of Combat - an underground newspaper during occupied France
- After The Plague was published, poverty was over
Writing
The Fall (1957)
Camus was afraid he would not live to write another book
- 1960 [46 years old] and died in an automobile accident
- Passenger in a high speed crash, struck a tree with a railroad ticket found in pocket - last minute change of plans
Shortly after publication did it win Nobel Prize for Literature.
