Albert Camus is one of the iconic figures of twentieth-century French literature, one of France’s most widely read modern literary authors and one of the youngest winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature. As the author of L’Etranger and the architect of the notion of ‘the Absurd’ in the 1940s, he shot to prominence in France and beyond. His work nevertheless attracted hostility as well as acclaim and he was increasingly drawn into bitter political controversies, especially the issue of France’s place and role in the country of his birth, Algeria. Most recently, postcolonial studies have identified in his writings a set of preoccupations ripe for revisitation. Situating Camus in his cultural and historical context, this Companion explores his best-selling novels, his ambiguous engagement with philosophy, his theatre, his increasingly high-profile work as a journalist and his reflection on ethical and political questions that continue to concern readers today. Albert Camus is one of the iconic figures of twentieth-century French literature. This 2007 Companion explores his best-selling novels, his ambiguous engagement with philosophy, his theatre, his work as a journalist and his reflections on ethical and political questions that continue to concern readers today. Notes on contributors vii Acknowledgements x Chronology xi Preliminary notes and abbreviations xvii Introduction 1(12) Edward J. Hughes PART I: BIOGRAPHY AND INFLUENCES Camus: a life lived in critical times 13(13) Ieme van Der Poel Situating Camus: the formative influences 26(13) Toby Garfitt Autobiographical soundings in L'Envers et l'Endroit 39(14) Edward J. Hughes PART II: THEMES, PREOCCUPATIONS AND GENRES Rethinking the Absurd: Le Mythe de Sisyphe 53(14) David Carroll Camus and the theatre 67(12) Christine Margerrison Camus the journalist 79(14) Jeanyves Guerin Camus and social justice 93(13) Martin Crowley Violence and ethics in Camus 106(12) Colin Davis Camus and Sartre: the great quarrel 118(13) Charles Forsdick Portraits of women, visions of Algeria 131(16) Danielle Marx-Scouras PART III: TEXTS AND CONTEXTS From Noces to L'Etranger 147(18) Peter Dunwoodie Layers of meaning in La Peste 165(13) Margaret E. Gray Withheld identity in La Chute 178(13) David R. Ellison Le Premier Homme and the literature of loss 191(12) Debra Kelly Postface 203(7) Edward J. Hughes Guide to further reading 210(10) Index 220