Albert Camus And Theory Of The Absurd English Literature Essay

Albert Camus was a man inspired by 3 things, the Mediterranean, his interpretations of death, and his mother. He lived the life of a creative genius. Albert Camus was once referred to as the Einstein of literature and therefore has left a lasting impression on the world of literature and his life has left a mark, a legacy, on the concept of creativity.

To start of, I will provide an idea about the early life and childhood of Albert Camus. He was born on November 1st, the year 1913 in a small village called Mondovi. His father Lucien Auguste Camus is originally from France and his mother Catherine is from Spain. Albert never got the chance to know his father because he was called off to war and died before Albert even turned one. Albert’s mother spoke very little of the father as well, the only detail she mentioned about him is that he watched a mass murderer get executed and when he come home afterwards he threw up. So Albert knew nothing of the man his father was.

After the death of his father, Catherine, Albert, and his brother Lucien moved in with the mother’s family at Belcourt in a very crowded working class area. Catherine worked a lot and she barely spent any time with her two sons Albert and Lucien, and her illiteracy worked to further the distance between her and Albert because literature was to become the meaning of Albert’s life.

Later on in 1930, Albert got the illness, tuberculosis, and it was so severe that he was forced to repeat a school year. Albert refused to accept that he had gotten this disease and continued walking and cycling even though they both took great efforts and caused immense amounts of pain. He later came to express an idea of physical mortality in writing and the idea that the universe is absurd, meaning that there is a conflict between mans crave of meaning and the fluidity of his condition. This was known as his Theory of the Absurd.

In 1942, The Stranger was published. It was one of the three novels that Albert Camus wrote. It was a huge success as well as an indication of how its ideas fit the mood of the time back then. Meursault, the main character in The Stranger believes that his life is absolutely pointless, and he denounces hope. Physical pleasure comes first in Meursault’s life and he is basically occupied by it. His noticeable indifference to some things such as the death of his mother, the marriage proposal and his death sentence show his recognition of our existence and the absurdity of this world.

The theory of absurd has been spread widely, where the absurd results from conflicts such the awareness of death and the desire for life. One is aware of the inevitability of death, and still sees no meaning in life, but Camus never supported suicide. Even though life basically has no meaning, one can make it worth living by experiencing as many physical sensations as possible.

About ten years after having published The Stranger, Albert Camus published the most important essay of his career called The Rebel. It included a critique about the Soviet Communism which sadly ended the friendship between Albert and Sartre because he was a supporter of the Soviet Communism. Here Albert still believes that the world is absurd but has changed the passage that one must follow, an individual, personal rebellion. This is where one seeks to transform and change one self rather than remaining the same. Camus examines several kinds of revolts in this essay, such as metaphysical and historical. The question in this essay, “What is a rebel” is answered by “It is a man who says no”. This essay, The Rebel, marked an evolution in Albert’s intellect. His first set focused on inhumanity and his second focused on the declaration of one’s freedom against inhumanity.

In 1956, Albert published The Fall, which was regarded to as a creative revival. From 1951 to 1956, Albert did not publish any major works, he focused mostly on translating and fixing his previous works and producing plays. In The Fall, Albert used the monologue to express the worldwide egotism of men. Its greatest creativity lies in its technique and the way it was written. Albert defined the creative writer as, he is who “doubtless always says the same thing, but unceasingly renews the form in which he says it”.

In 1957 Albert Camus receives the Nobel Prize for Literature “for his important literary works which shed light on the problems today facing the human conscience” (Amoia, 16). But instead of feeling happiness and joy for receiving this prize, he feels a great deal of pressure because he had been the youngest writer ever to receive the Nobel Prize at the age of 44, and felt that he could not live up to the expectations of such a prize entailed. He even wondered whether he would be able to write another book again, whether it would be good enough or not.

Albert Camus died in 1960, and it was not because of tuberculosis, he died in a car accident while on his way from southern France to Paris when he was only 47 years old. But in his short life, Albert provided great contributions to the field of literature. He made themes which became his own, such as, loneliness, separation, the need for one to find home, joy in physical life and rebellion.

Albert Camus’ life corresponds very well with the Howard Gardner model. Albert possessed the ability and intelligence to write in all genres. He had to be in terms with himself in order to write well. He used his own experiences, his fear of death, his tuberculosis, and last but not least, his lonely childhood in order to write. He was also a leader of a theatre and he politically influenced many people as well. It was known that when he spoke, everyone else listened, since he was just a young boy in the soccer team. Albert’s productivity fell into the ten year rule as well. In 1932 he began to write, in 1942 he published The Stranger, and in 1951 he published The Rebel.

Albert Camus was a creative and ambitious being who made lasting contributions to the field of literature. His art conveyed a message; spoke to the world in an insightful way. Albert Camus of course, expressed the true meaning of his art best. “For me, art is not a solitary rejoicing. It is the means of touching the heart of the greatest number of men by offering them the privileged image of the suffering and joy which they have in common.”

Citations:

Http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1957/

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Camus

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stranger_(novel)

Http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/camus.html

Http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/albert_camus.html

Http://www.gradesaver.com/the-stranger/study-guide/about/

Book Citations:

The Stranger by Albert Camus(1942), Translation of L’étranger. First Vintage International Edition (1957). Copyright 1942 by Librairie Gallmard. Copyright renewed 1969 by Mme Veuve Albert Camus.