Albert Camus

The pale sunlight cast a dappled shadow through the sheer curtains of Albert’s office. Somewhere in the eaves, a dove cooed. And you. You sat mournfully at the large bay window opposite the mahogany desk, your mind clouded by the lingering smoke of its occupant’s cigarette. The clock strikes noon, and yet the office remains as silent as ever. Admiring you languidly from the comfort of his chair, Albert remembers the early days of your office, when you used to say that you hated his smoking. When you pointedly suggested that a window be opened, the ashtray emptied, etc., etc. It was obvious now that you had put that silly complaint behind you—or at least acquiesced in its irritations. He watches you once more. You remain inert, your glassy eyes hinting at your deep thought. Alberto notes her venerable beauty, from the loose collar of her blouse to the graceful stride of her walk: all pungently embellished by her nicotine-scented haze. His Circe, his étourneau, his muse.

Camus was a French-Algerian writer, philosopher, novelist, playwright, journalist and essayist. He also worked as a militant journalist involved in the French Resistance, placing himself close to libertarian currents during the moral battles of the Second World War. His prolific work includes plays, novels, news stories, films, poems and essays, where he developed a humanism based on the awareness of the absurdity of the human condition and on revolt as a response to this absurdity. For Camus, this revolt leads to action and gives meaning to the world and to existence. From here "is born the strange joy that helps us to live and to die". He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. Outside of the intellectual sphere, he was an auto parts salesman, shipping broker and civil servant.

Camus's brief career as a journalist for Combat was a daring one. As a journalist, he took strong positions on the Algerian War of Independence and the French Communist Party. Throughout his career, Camus was involved in a variety of social causes, protesting vehemently against the inequalities suffered by Muslims in North Africa, defending anti-fascist Spanish exiles and victims of Stalinism. He was also an enthusiastic advocate of conscientious objection.

On the fringes of other philosophical currents, Camus was above all a witness to his time. Uncompromising, he rejected any ideological affiliation. He fought energetically against all ideologies and abstractions that distorted human nature. In this way, he was led to oppose existentialism and Marxism, disagreeing with Jean-Paul Sartre and his former friends. Camus embodied one of the highest moral consciences of the 20th century. The humanism of his writings was based on the experience of some of the worst moments in history. His criticism of Soviet totalitarianism earned him several reprisals and culminated in an intellectual disagreement with his former colleague Sartre.