The outsider.

Translated by Stuart Gilbert. With an introd. by Cyril Connolly.

No cover

Albert Camus: The outsider. (1971, Penguin Books)

119 pages

English language

Published Nov. 8, 1971 by Penguin Books.

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (268 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 …

82 editions

Review of 'The Stranger' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I can relate. Here’s someone drifting through life. Things happen to him, each as inconsequential as the last. My depression makes me think that way more often than not. In fact, this book may be the best representation of how my depression manifests — not a heavy dragging sadness so much as a robotic indifference. I am as indifferent to the universe as it is to me.

Review of 'Der Fremde' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Ich habe »Die Peste« nicht gelesen, denke aber das »Der Fremnde« ungefähr doppelt so gut ist, da nur halb so lang.
Ja, ja, ja, Existentialismus usw. usw.
Ich dachte, das man mal was von Camus gelesen haben müsste, und das habe ich jetzt auch abgehakt. Ich fand's einfach nur blöd. Meursault interessiert sich für gar nichts (s. Existentialismus), und ich weiß nicht, wieso ich mich für Meursault interessieren sollte.

Review of 'The Stranger' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This book is straight-forward. A trip into the mind of a man, who acts and thinks like a stoic; his journey through life is simple, basically because he does what he wants and doesn't care for much. He's easily bored and seemingly steers away from what he's not attracted to. He doesn't even do a lot of "mandatory" stuff when he doesn't want to.

Even though I like the descriptions in the book as well as the plot, it's what's not there which interests me most; explanations to the man's behaviour are scarce, and this book is to me akin to Antonioni's "L'Avventura", where a clear plot is far from obvious, if even there.

All in all: short, concise and well-written. Highly interesting, mainly because it's so post-modern.

Review of 'Outsider' on Goodreads

4 stars

1) ''C'est un frôlement qui m'a révéillé. D'avoir fermé les yeux, la pièce m'a paru encore plus éclatante de blancheur. Devant moi, il n'y avait pas une ombre et chaque objet, chaque angle, toutes les courbes se dessinaient avec une pureté blessante pour les yeux. C'est à ce moment que les amis de maman sont entrés. Ils étaient en tout une dizaine, et ils glissaient en silence dans cette lumière aveuglante. Ils se sont assis sans qu'aucune chaise grinçât. Je les voyais comme je n'ai jamais vu personne et pas un détail de leurs visages ou de leurs habits ne m'échappait. Pourtant je ne les entendais pas et j'avais peine à croire à leur réalité.''

2) ''À travers les lignes de cyprès qui menaient aux collines près du ciel, cette terre rousse et verte, ces maisons rares et bien dessinées, je comprenais maman. Le soir, dans ce pays, devait être …

Review of 'The Outsider' on 'GoodReads'

5 stars

Meursault, the outsider, is a character lacking passion, who lives his life by a doctrine of rational thinking and something close to ennui. It is extremely hard to fault this story - each chapter throws up a powerful visual memory, and the characters that surround Meursault are painted through his cogent perceptions of them. This is a wonderful book that leaves a lasting impression.

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.

reviewed L'étranger by Albert Camus (Collection Folio -- 2)

Review of "L'étranger" on 'Goodreads'

No rating

This book is originally in French, so I'm hoping won't be as hard to figure out as the last French book I attempted to read. Plus, Camus is pretty good about using everyday language and so far the first chapter has been mostly w/in my grasp. On y va!

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