“The peculiar events that are the subject of this history occurred in 194‒, in Oran”
The French philosopher, novelist, dramatist, and journalist Albert Camus was the second youngest Nobel Laureate in the field of literature, winning the most illustrious prize in 1957 at only 44. By his death two years later, Camus had left behind a brief but impressive oeuvre of novels, short stories, plays, non-fiction writings, and philosophical essays, many of which are still widely read and enjoyed.
Often cited as the greatest European work of fiction from the second half of the 20th century, The Plague is an existentialist philosophical classic set in a lightly fictionalised version of the French Algerian city of Oran. From the perspective of a mystery narrator, the novel documents a catastrophic outbreak of the bubonic plague, from its very first barely noticeable effects on the local rodent population to its status as a fearfully severe eruption of pestilence.
A common interpretation of the text is that it is an allegory of the French resistance during the Nazi occupation of France; however, others refute this interpretation instead electing to understand the novel as a treatise on consciousness, the human condition, and our reaction to an existential crisis.
As the novel’s protagonist and a fairly obvious author self-insert, Dr Bernard Rieux works tirelessly to ameliorate the conditions of the infected; however, Camus makes it clear that despite his efforts Rieux’s fight against death is something he can never win. This is exemplified by Father Paneloux who moralistically pontificates causes and solutions on the steps of a cathedral whilst Rieux works to relieve the suffering in the auxiliary hospital.
Although Camus vehemently refuted his association with the philosophical school of existentialism, like many examples from the existentialist genre, particularly from the oeuvre of Hermann Hesse, Luigi Pirandello, and Franz Kafka, a ubiquitous theme in much of his writing, and on clear display in The Plague, is the utter powerlessness of characters to affect their situations and surroundings.
If you’re familiar with and enjoy the works of Kafka, Fyodor Dostoevsky, or even Jean-Paul Sartre (particularly Nausea), you will appreciate the brilliant and thought-provoking prose, narrative, and philosophy that are on display in this masterpiece of 20th century literature. Although often overlooked for Camus’s better-known novel The Outsider (The Stranger), The Plague is without question a novel not to be missed by any literature lover.
“He knew what those jubilant crowds did not know but could have learned from books: that the plague bacillus never dies or disappears for good; … it would rouse up its rats again and send them forth to die in a happy city.
This review of The Plague by Albert Camus is the seventh instalment of a fortnightly series called 50 Books. The series shines a spotlight on classical literature from throughout history and all over the world. If you have suggestions for future instalments comment and let me know.
Next time: More light-hearted reading ‒ Dante’s Inferno
Words by Luke Horwitz
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