Albert Camus Books

A long time student of Camus' works, I thought I knew everything there was to know about this man. However, this book along with "Albert Camus and the Minister" have left me with a fresh perspective on Camus. Not to say that it destroys the image of the man that other works personify, but it does work to fill in the gaps and in some cases bring to light new things about a well known man, of whom little is truely known.

"Los Justos" is such a wonderful book. It is filled with emotions that bring out the passion that exists in each of us. It tells the story of a group of revolutionaries that try to make Mother Russia a better nation by killing one of its most prestigious figures. The obstacles they must face, the planning the must take, and the feelings they must overcome are all part of a passionate tale that will bring the best of emotions in you.

surprising book, a small note book...not as somber as other famous work I knew, A philosopher look at life through the country he loved, with poesy.
The writing style precise,clear, a treat!

Dr. Kamber has written a book the goal of which is to examine the body of Albert Camus' work under the bright lights of the professional philosopher's expertise. The book is intended for those without extensive formal training in philosophy. As one who has read much of Camus' work throughout my lifetime but who lacks a formal philosophic background, I found "On Camus" to be highly edifying.
Dr. Kamber shows great insight and breadth of knowledge in tracing the roots of Camus' thought... his lifetime preoccupation with Christianity and his exposure and influence by the likes of religious thinkers (Pascal, Plotinus, the Gnostics, St. Augustine, Dostoyevski, Kierkegaard, Chestov and Jaspers). All of these influences are explicated in a concise, clear and understandable manner by Professor Kamber, whose obvious gifts as a teacher are displayed with bravura. One begins to understand the roots for many of Camus' themes such as the yearning for the lost homeland of his youth. Dr. K makes a strong argument for the veracity of Sartre's observation that Camus (as can be postulated from his lifelong "dialogue" with and about Christian ideas) was an anti-theist rather than an atheist.
The exegesis of "The Stranger" by Dr. K is excellent and it is apparent that he has lived with this book for many years. Mersault and his philosophical import are dissected under the scrutiny of a philosopher's exacting argumentative skills and we begin to see that the penetrating questions that are posed by Camus are not always answered. Some of the themes examined are the Absurd, the meaninglessness of life and finality of death, selfishness and moral obligation to others, the concept of scorn, with astute references to Kafka and Nietzsche. Dr. K demonstrates some of the deficiencies that a professional philosopher would find in this work, yet he maintains a deep appreciation and admiration for the lyrical beauty and power that was Camus' prose and perhaps his greatest gift.
Dr. K examines "Caligula" in the light of Nietzchean and Gnostic thought and finds the question of the moral import of the emperor's path to be left unanswered. In "The Myth of Sysiphus" we find Camus' development of his interpretation of the Absurd and it's liberating but costly demands, the scientific intelligibility (or unintelligibility) of the world, revolt, freedom and passion, fellowship and it's import, and Camus' challenge to Husserl's phenomenology. Here again Dr. K finds the reasoning to be "philosophically muddled" and "sketchy". Yet he acknowledges the potential of Camus' thought to enrich and broaden our approach to the tribulations of life.
There is an insightful examination of Camus as a moralist and the deficiencies of his approach are explored. In "The Plague", Dr. Kamber discusses Camus' thoughts on fighting evil, and his explication is thoughtful and insightful as always. Rebellion and revolt are explored in Camus' "The Rebel', with it's damning take on Marxism and Soviet Communism, and the interesting consequences of these viewpoints on his relationship with Sartre are presented. In Dr. K's analysis of "The Fall", selfishness and guilt are discussed. As ever, the deficiencies in Camus' philosophical analysis are exposed, and the exegesis is highly revealing of Camus' sources and conclusions.
Dr. Kamber ends his analysis of the work of Camus by stating that his writing is "seldom philosophy in the professional sense of the term, but it was always an earnest search for wisdom." I found it highly edifying to become aware of the philosophic deficiencies of one of my favorite writers, yet gratifying that Dr. Kamber is able to balance his analysis by maintaining his admiration for the sincerity, lyricism and passionate inspiration that Camus excels at imparting to the reader. Can a nonprofessional remain a lover of Camus' thought after reading an honest critique such as "On Camus"? I would answer with a resounding affirmation...
Congratulations to Professor Kamber for a work well done, and thanks for a balanced and highly intelligible analysis.

I have found that "The Plague" was difficult to grasp since so much information was thrown out to the reader. By reading the cliff notes I was able to take my time and read all the fine print. Overall a great resource and anyone wanting to get an in depth look at "The Plague" read this now.

Most of the kernels in Camus's notebooks could be the seeds for short stories or even novels. He was brilliant and far less sombre in these notes than in the great novels and essays. For those who think Camus merely a son of Kafka, these errant thoughts provide showers of sparks for the mind.

This book is definately reserved for the true Camus lover. It's mostly just a collection of jumbled thoughts, not for anyone looking to be entertained. It gives great insight into his everyday life and if imagining how Camus lived is as fascinating to you as it is to me then you will love this book.

A wonderful collection of the random thoughts of a brilliant writer..he later used these notes to create his masterpieces, unforgettable and poignant, a treasure to have in one's library.

Larry McMurtry once wrote that one should never set out to read everything written by a particular author. Of course that was Larry McMurtry and I have come to realize that he was right about himself and many other authors. "Notebooks 1935-1942" is evidence that it is true even about Albert Camus. Enthralled by "The Stranger" and "The Plague", I set out to read everything by this author. I blamed myself for not enjoying his complicated essays. I also blame myself for thinking that this collection of random thoughts, scenarios, and quotes would be worth the time it took to read it. There are occassional observations of note but they are lost in the lack of continuity of thought. The art of literature lies not in having great ideas. The art of literature lies in creating stories and scenarios that enable the reader to discover the truths the author would like discovered.

For students of Camus there could be some benefits in reading this "book". The first part of the notebook generally focuses on material used in "A Happy Death" while the very latter part of the notebook generally focuses on material used in "The Plague".

So many Books, so little time. Don't waste your time on this one.

The description informs the buyer that the book is 60 pages, but not that it's 60 small pages with super big type. Plus the editing is horrible -- riddled with typos.

It does however deliver a side to Camus not often seen -- the young author, somewhat scared and certainly lonely -- but still with little insight and discussion. It read more like an extended news article.

Herbert Lottman is the most loving and I believe the most authoritative of all students of Albert Camus. This short book is a treasure for anyone who cares about Camus' literature. If you are serious about Camus, you should read this book as well as Lottman's excellent biography of Camus, which was the groundbreaking work in all Camus scholarship and remains the best Camus biography.

Lottman's work on Camus has not been as well received as one might hope, and that is a great shame. Ironically, I think his reception by Camus scholars mirrors the incivility which the French elite reserved for Camus himself. I think the treatment both men received from the literati is explained by the fact that they are both outsiders. Neither man was a French native (Camus was an Algerian of French-Spanish descent and Lottman is an American expatriate living in Paris) and neither was a professional academic (Camus was a newspaper editor, a novelist, and a man of the theater, while Lottman is a journalist). It seems that the elite are simply never willing to admit any reason to listen to an outsider, no matter how worthy that person might be. That is so at least in retrospect, anyway; I think that as time passes the elite will recognize Lottman's greatness, just as, with time, they recognized the greatness of Camus.

Anyway, this book is a touching, very readable glimpse into the life of a fascinating man, by an author who himself clearly loves Camus and has taken great pains to paint him truthfully.

Among the many pearls of insight offered by Alfred Kazin is one to which this author should pay much more respect: "What brings us closer to a work of art is not instruction, but another work of art."

Bronner begins his book with a lengthy apologia that explains in detail why every single other thing written about Camus is inadequate. I think such an introduction betrays the sort of scholar who would merrily have joined the pompous Parisian literati of the 1950s that banded *against* Camus, denouncing him as a traitor to the Left, and thereby proving forever their own hollow lack of substance. Therein lies the irony of tone with which this book is laced. Bronner is a man who purports to love Camus, but had he been writing fifty years ago, at the time when Camus most needed friends, I can easily see him being Camus' worst enemy.

As for substance, Bronner appears quite confident that his contribution is entirely original and more significant than anything heretofore written about Camus. I think in fact it is not particularly insightful, or at least no more so than what any intelligent layperson could get by reading Camus' works and the already existing biographical material.

Most insulting is Bronner's brusque disrespect for the Camus biography written by Herbert Lottman. Bronner first explains that the two major English-language Camus biographies in print -- one by Lottman and one by the Frenchman Olivier Todd -- are both inadequate because they are basically factual and not critical. However, the thing I found most frustrating about Bronner's book is that he commits exactly the sin from which Lottman mercifully spared us. Lottman writes in the preface to the second edition of his wonderful book that he will not deign to preach to us about how we should understand Camus. He so refuses because, as he explains, the essence of an artist is not in his biography (or, by extension, in secondary scholarship by university professors like Bronner), but in his works.

Notwithstanding Bronner's lengthly explanation of his own importance, I think his book will very quickly be relegated to the obscurity it deserves.

"Camus" Portrait of a Moralist" is a splendid book. I came across it after just finishing a 400+ biography of the subject that bulged with facts and quotes but lacked insight and analysis. These later two virtues Stephen Bronner provides in abundance. His remarkable achievement is to offer in 150 pages a persuasive interpretation of Camus that brings together his life events, artistic achievements and activities, and his philosophical and political thinking.

Bronner argues that Camus' career evolved in three stages. During his early period he developed his concept of the absurd. The Second World War and Camus' involvement in the resistance heralded a focus on rebellion and the human solidarity that grows out of a shared struggle against a powerful and demonic foe. In the post-war era, however, this solidarity splintered over issues such as communism and the French-Algerian War. During the last 10 years of his life Camus was distinguished by his refusal to embrace ideologies and fanatical devotion to causes regardless the cost in human life and dignity.

Bronner discusses Camus' artistic, philosophical and journalistic works to both demonstrate and illustrate Camus' development until his death at age 47. Within this framework, Bronner draws welcome attention to neglected aspects of Camus' outlook such as his almost contemplative atheism.

In sum, Bronner's stellar accomplishment if to write an interpretation of Camus that is both clear and concise for the uninitiated, and subtle and nuanced for those already acquainted with his subject.

Galen Tinder galen@blast.net

"Guest" was an interesting short story full of emotion and dilemma, but the ending is very unsatisfactory with loose ends. It'll keep you guessing and it's full of suspense, but the ending is a letdown. I "sorta" recommend.

very gripping on the emotional dilemma of the arab

This book covers many key factors of entering a lucid state of mind, however misses some key points and strategies for attaining lucidity. It tells most of the basics, but there are better books on the topic such as: Exploring the world of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen Laberge. Overall, I found this book helpful, but lacking.