Albert Camus. 1913-1960 ... Father, Lucien Auguste Camus, an itinerant
agricultural laborer, died ... The Fall was published in 1956, marking. Camus'
return to ...
Albert Camus 1913-1960
Crunchy Camus Bits • Born on 7 November 1913 in Mondovi, Algeria, into a working-class family • Mother, Catherine Hélène Sintés, was an illiterate cleaning woman • Father, Lucien Auguste Camus, an itinerant agricultural laborer, died of wounds in 1914 after the Battle of the Marne
Crunchy Camus Bits • To escape home life, Camus buried himself in studies and participation in local athletic teams • He excelled in both • An instructor noticed young Albert's intellect, tutored him, helping him pass the lycée entrance exams in 1923
Crunchy Camus Bits • 1927 Camus was accepted into the University of Algiers' school of philosophy • 1930, his studies were interrupted by severe tuberculosis • Robbed him of strength. Gave up athletics and became a part-time student
Crunchy Camus Bits • Attended lectures at the University of Algiers from 1932-1953, never losing his enthusiasm for learning • Between 1931 and 1935, Camus worked a string of low-paying jobs, including a police clerk and salesman • Had a brief marriage during this period, which ended in divorce
Crunchy Camus Bits • Late 1930’s he worked as a writer and editor for several years in France • Befriended leading writers, artists, and intellectuals in Paris • Unfortunately, the German army invaded France and Camus returned to North Africa
Crunchy Camus Bits • The invasion of France left a lasting impression upon Camus and his thoughts about society, politics, and the individual • Early 1940’s Camus married Francine Faure and found a teaching position • In less than a year, Camus wrote drafts of The Stranger, The Myth of Sisyphus,The Plague and filled notebooks with his thoughts on philosophy and politics
Crunchy Camus Bits • 1941 Camus feels compelled to return to France and join the French Resistance • During this period Camus formalized his philosophy that human life was sacred, no matter how inexplicable existence of that life might be
Crunchy Camus Bits • Following the war, Camus toured the United States • Found that French Existentialism, as promoted by Jean-Paul Sartre, was widely misunderstood as a philosophy of hopelessness • This motivates him to clarify his thinking
Crunchy Camus Bits • By the age of thirty-one, Camus was a leading voice of social change. He belonged to no political party and was fiercely independent • Camus succumbed to illness in 1949, a relapse of his tuberculosis accompanied by other difficulties
Crunchy Camus Bits • For two years he remained in seclusion, writing and publishing political essays • All exploring the themes of: isolation of the individual in an alien universe, problem of evil, ethics, and individual responsibility
Crunchy Camus Bits • Recovered in 1951, and published The Rebel, a collection of his thoughts on metaphysical, historical, and artistic rebellion • Was ostracized by many French intellectuals. It was this work that led to Camus' split with long-time friend JeanPaul Sartre
Crunchy Camus Bits • The Fall was published in 1956, marking Camus' return to novels • Book was well received, bringing Camus back into favor in intellectual circles • Following year, Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
Died at the pinnacle of his career as a writer in a freak automobile accident near Sens, France, on January 4, 1960
