A gripping tale of human unrelieved horror, of survival and resilience, and of the ways in which humankind confronts death, The Plague is at once a...
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Aug 04, 2010
Ben
rated it: 
Ah, death; it's always there, isn't it? It is a terrible fate, doomed upon us all, that could take place at any time, in millions of different ways. The Jews who witnessed the holocaust are aware of this. The people of Haiti know this. The mother who lost her only child in a car accident is aware of this. Most individuals (and groups of individuals) spend their days fighting the fact of death, lying to themselves, using clever ways to avoid its ever-present reality. Looking death in its col
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Nov 05, 2011
Shovelmonkey1
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Life is brief... Camus knew this and had the fact proved first hand when he was smooshed in a car accident at the relatively young age of 46. Death is coming people and nothing can stop it. But the question is, do you ignore this fact and live in a kind of blissful fluffy world where it seems nothing can go wrong? Or do you pre-emptively stick your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye?
Some have argued that Camus should have stuck to journalism, being a politically aware More...
Some have argued that Camus should have stuck to journalism, being a politically aware More...
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Apr 20, 2008
Kristopher
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by Albert Camus
I have been on the hunt for books that might fit with my new Fall semester course on Apocalyptic Literature, and this one seemed like a natural fit. I'd read a bit of Camus before - The Stranger, of course, and The Fall... though I don't remember anything about that one. Camus, like Sartre, falls under the heading in my mind of philosophers who probably shouldn't have gone into creative writing (see entry on Nausea, and also a sentiment soon to be repeated as I try to More...
I have been on the hunt for books that might fit with my new Fall semester course on Apocalyptic Literature, and this one seemed like a natural fit. I'd read a bit of Camus before - The Stranger, of course, and The Fall... though I don't remember anything about that one. Camus, like Sartre, falls under the heading in my mind of philosophers who probably shouldn't have gone into creative writing (see entry on Nausea, and also a sentiment soon to be repeated as I try to More...
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Dec 25, 2007
Kirk
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THE PLAGUE is my favorite Camus in part because it treats its subject humanely. While I can appreciate this historical influence of THE STRANGER, I find that famous "writing degree zero" style a bit too stylized for my taste---not so much in Camus, perhaps, but by the many imitators who have latched onto it in an effort to exploit the emotional detachment it allows for. Besides becoming a cheap term that gets used all the time without any philosophical specificity whatsoever, 'existent
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(7 people liked it)
Oct 02, 2007
Poliwalk
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This book has been one of the most influential in my life. Camus uses the premise of a town infected by the plague and quarantined from the rest of the world to explore some of the great philosophical questions. I find his exploration of religion very astute--that God is either not able to prevent evil and is thus not omnipotent or that God is all powerful and thus condones evil. Either option to Camus is a God not worthy of worship.
Many people read The Stranger and think Camus More...
Many people read The Stranger and think Camus More...
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May 23, 2008
Michael
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In every literary and artistic movement, I believe, there is one work that stands out as 1) a representative of everything that the movement stands for; and 2) a work of art that can be enjoyed on its own merits by people who do not like, or agree with, the movement that it represents. For me, "I Will Survive" fills this role for disco music; "Spirited Away" fills it for Japanese Anime, and THE PLAGUE does it for French existentialism.
THE PLAGUE makes largely the More...
THE PLAGUE makes largely the More...
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Jul 01, 2008
Krishan
rated it:
A great novel, one of the best I have read.
The Plague tells story of a small town in Algeria that is nearly destroyed by an epidemic of bubonic plague. The people of the town are only dimly aware of the plague as it begins, and once it takes hold, most are too apathetic or weak or confused to fight it. The events are viewed through the eyes of a doctor, and we see all humanity, at its best and worst: loving, killing, sharing, stealing, embracing and suffering.
Written in 1948, More...
The Plague tells story of a small town in Algeria that is nearly destroyed by an epidemic of bubonic plague. The people of the town are only dimly aware of the plague as it begins, and once it takes hold, most are too apathetic or weak or confused to fight it. The events are viewed through the eyes of a doctor, and we see all humanity, at its best and worst: loving, killing, sharing, stealing, embracing and suffering.
Written in 1948, More...
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Feb 02, 2009
Michael
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It's difficult to review a book like this. There is no denying the brilliance of Camus as a writer and philosopher. He wrote with conviction, eloquence, and passion. His characters arouse sympathy and compassion as they struggle through tragic circumstances in a meaningless world. Herein, though, lies the problem. He presupposes a life of meaninglessness in a chance existence, and constructs his philosophy around that presupposition. He understands at least some of the consequences of his
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Jun 11, 2011
Mehdi
rated it:
The plague of Albert Camus is one of the best novels I’ve ever read, the writer who wrote that novel while in Algeria, Oran during the Nazi’s occupation of France, nonetheless Albert Camus didn’t get into explaining the suffering that the war have brought as sadness and torment to his native country, he went far beyond that by choosing one the most fatal disease that a human being may have which is the merciless PLAGUE EPIDEMIC.
The story is set Algeria 1960, the plague took place and More...
The story is set Algeria 1960, the plague took place and More...
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Jan 04, 2009
Manny
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For some reason, I didn't like La Peste nearly as much I had expected. In fact, I found it pretentious and annoying. Maybe I should re-read it... I have a feeling I missed something. My thoughts during the first reading were that he was way too pleased with himself for having been a hero of the Resistance, and that I no longer found it very odd that Sartre had had a major falling out with him which ended with them no longer speaking to each other.
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Jun 09, 2008
Eric
rated it:
You can look at this book in several different ways, many of which involve really big words that make my brain hurt. Straightforwardly, it's a "mostly" engrossing tale of a town isolated from the world and in the grip of pestilence. Metaphorically, sociologically, philosophically, OWWW... see, there it goes. How do you even begin to talk about something like this? "The Plague" is one of those books you can keep in your head for years, realizing new aspects or layers to it wit
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(4 people liked it)
May 13, 2008
Wendi
rated it:
What an interesting novel. Sarah had to point out to me how it is a metaphor of the Nazi's and the concentration camps. I read it totally at face value. I just wasn't interested in looking for metaphors.
I like the sociological aspects of the story: how the people react to being locked into their town; how other people use the plague to their advantage while their neighbors suffer; how others realize that the only thing to really do is fight the plague and it's effects.
I More...
I like the sociological aspects of the story: how the people react to being locked into their town; how other people use the plague to their advantage while their neighbors suffer; how others realize that the only thing to really do is fight the plague and it's effects.
I More...
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Jul 12, 2010
Hadisad
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وقتی از کودکیم فقط فکر نکردن همراهم هست...
طاعون، کامو، فصل یکی مانده به آخر، وقتی مردمِ ماه ها قرنطینه ی شهر طاعون زده، جشن رهایی را با باز دیدن عزیزان دور ماندشان هستند:
" ... آن ها با خیال راحت و به رغم همه بدیهیات، آشنایی ما را با آن دنیای دیوانه واری که در آن مرگ انسان مانند مرگ مگس ها عادی بود، با آن وحشیگری مسلم و آن هذیان حساب شده، با آن گرفتاری و زندانی که خود را در تجاوز به همه چیز آزاد می شمرد و با آن بوی مرگ که اگر کسی را نمی کشت مبهوتش می ساخت انکار می کردند. و More...
طاعون، کامو، فصل یکی مانده به آخر، وقتی مردمِ ماه ها قرنطینه ی شهر طاعون زده، جشن رهایی را با باز دیدن عزیزان دور ماندشان هستند:
" ... آن ها با خیال راحت و به رغم همه بدیهیات، آشنایی ما را با آن دنیای دیوانه واری که در آن مرگ انسان مانند مرگ مگس ها عادی بود، با آن وحشیگری مسلم و آن هذیان حساب شده، با آن گرفتاری و زندانی که خود را در تجاوز به همه چیز آزاد می شمرد و با آن بوی مرگ که اگر کسی را نمی کشت مبهوتش می ساخت انکار می کردند. و More...
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Jun 19, 2007
behemothing
rated it:
Au restaurant de l'hôtel, il y a toute une famille bien intéressante. Le père est un grand home maigre, habillé du noir, avec un col dur. Il a le milieu du crâne chauve et deux touffes de cheveuc gris, à droite et à gauche. Des petits yeux ronds et durs, un nez mince, une bouche horizontale, lui donnent l'air d'une chouette bien élevée. Il arrive toujours le premier à la porte du restaurant, s'efface, laisse passer sa femme, menue comme une souris noire, et entre alors avec, sur les talons, un p
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Dec 05, 2007
Funk
rated it:
Insightful character sketches of citizens in a town called Oran beleaguered by the plague.
"In the early days when they thought this epidemic much like other epidemics, religion held its ground. But once these people realized their instant peril, they gave their thoughts to pleasure. And all their hideous fears that stamp their face in the daytime are transformed in the fiery dusty nightfall into a sort of hectic exaltation, an unkempt freedom fevering their blood". - More...
"In the early days when they thought this epidemic much like other epidemics, religion held its ground. But once these people realized their instant peril, they gave their thoughts to pleasure. And all their hideous fears that stamp their face in the daytime are transformed in the fiery dusty nightfall into a sort of hectic exaltation, an unkempt freedom fevering their blood". - More...
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Mar 27, 2008
Benjamin
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Camus is my other favorite author, along with Dostoevsky. I've read The Stranger and The Fall, as well as most of his nonfiction philosophical treatise The Myth of Sisyphus. Camus' absurdist philosophy is one that I identify with, and I think this philosophy is at its most effective in The Plague. The character of Dr. Rieux is one example of the "absurd hero" who, against all odds and perhaps even logic, fights on against a seemingly indefatigable force. The absurd, at its core, is the
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Mar 06, 2008
Mara
rated it: 
This book was probably the most depressing book I've ever read in my life...not to mention the heavy creep factor involved. Granted, I read it in high school and wasn't really enjoying the existential unit of our Modern Thought & Lit class. It might have been all that pre-existing teen angst and sense of impending doom and hopelessness though.... Maybe if I reread it, I'd appreciate it more on an intellectual level. But at the time, it just grossed me out and made everything in life seem hope
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(2 people liked it)
Sep 09, 2008
Kassi
rated it:
A sensitively written piece of literature examining the strength and weaknesses of the human spirit and ultimately a study in humanity. Bound together by a common tragedy (the plague itself), the reader sees through the eyes of an array of characters, each with their own philosophies and convictions and ways of handling the stress that the plague brings upon the town. This is a philosophical tale sure to leave the reader with much to think on upon its conclusion.
I enjoyed this book, More...
I enjoyed this book, More...
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Feb 24, 2009
Anna
rated it:
This is honestly the single greatest book I've ever read.
It's a slow and flawless build-up to a chilling final paragraph that left me stunned for hours after I finished the novel.
I could read it hundreds of times and never grow tired of it.
It's a slow and flawless build-up to a chilling final paragraph that left me stunned for hours after I finished the novel.
I could read it hundreds of times and never grow tired of it.
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Dec 12, 2007
Núria
rated it:
Pues no, 'La plaga' no me gustó. Creo que es una buena idea que en forma de relato corto podría haber quedado bien, pero que no da para una novela. Para mi gusto le sobran páginas y páginas y páginas y páginas. Creo que con muchas menos ya habríamos pillado todo el rollo de comparar la plaga con la ocupación nazi y también el rollo de lo implacable que es el horror y lo futil que es luchar contra él. La historia se alarga innecesariamente y se vuelve repetitiva y tediosa. Y los personajes son si
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Jun 13, 2007
Ann
rated it:
Albert Camus is a compassionate writer whose flowing style and optimism make him a joy to read. While his most read novel, The Stranger, is one that portrays the negative possibilities of living in a world without any given meaning, The Plague shows us just the opposite- that there can be purpose when none seems to exist. A plague has struck the town of Oran, Algeria, and the story follows five main characters as they struggle to face the total isolation imposed upon them by this. An allegory
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Jul 07, 2008
Rachel
rated it:
It is difficult to see why "The Stranger" seems to be such a far more common requirement in high school and college than the vastly superior "The Plague;" the latter does such a better job of illustrating Camus' philosophy on the human condition (call it existentialism if you must) and is much more poignant in its descriptions of love, decency, and freedom. Despite the seemingly oppressive subject matter, Camus manages to convey tenderness without being overly sentimental, an
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Jan 29, 2012
Julia
rated it:
Wasn't blown away by this one. It takes a look at how a society reacts to suddenly facing its collective mortality. It's framed as a completely objective account, and though there are a few poignant moments, Camus doesn't provide enough personal connection with the characters to make the story compelling. I expected the book to be horrifying, and I was left lukewarm. Notable, though, that Camus seems to have a fairly optimistic view of people's capacity to work together for the common good (a
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Jan 14, 2008
Matthew
rated it:
written in 1948, the story of a port town in the south of France that becomes stricken with bubonic plague and quarantined. i learned that a boring story about ordinary people can be amazingly fascinating and interesting. There are no plot turns, there is no suspense...no good-guys or bad-guys...but i got to know and like all the characters so well, I hated putting the book down, and eagerly anticipated picking it up again. when i finished the book, i was sad...i felt i was saying goodbye to so
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Jun 08, 2008
Paddy
rated it:
This is very skilfully done and it felt like reading a landmark book, but it didn't bowl me over. As an account of the claustrophobia and fear accompanying any uncertain situation of siege or occupation (whether by disease or invading army) and the attendant ethical dilemmas, it's a success. Probably for the same reason, however, it didn't grip me: there's not much drama, it's very much a work of philosophy wrapped up as a novel. I recommend it, but only when you're in the mood for something slo
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Aug 09, 2011
Albert "don't call me existentialist" Camus wrote an amazing existentially angst novel with "The Stranger." Don't get wrong, I agree with Camus in the fact that his style and philosophy differs with Sartre, thus making it hard to pigeon hole him into the existentialist category. In fact, I think he has more in common with Kafka and Dosteovsky than Sartre. "The Plague" only further confirms my prejudices. Set in a modern city afflicted with the bubonic plague, Cam
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May 22, 2009
The novel The Plague, written by Albert Camus is one of the best novels written by Camus. The novel is separated into five sections each section tells of a distinct period in the plgue's takeover of Oran . The first section tells the sotry of the town of Oran before the plague and when the plague hits the town and also introduces all the main characters. The second section of the novel describes what happens when the plague arrives. It also describes the different characters response to the plag
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Jan 19, 2009
Leslie
rated it:
I think this is an interesting book. If you look at it from the perspective of pure philosophy, it provides an interesting commentary on how human beings react to a crisis - it is a microcosm of a lifespan. A quote from the book that I like and that I think sums things up quite simply is this: "The plaque has a good side - it opens men's eyes and forces them to take thought." We go on with the business of living and get so caught up in it that we lose sight of our lives. It takes somet
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Dec 27, 2011
thought provoking..
I have read Camus' short stories entitled 'Exile and the Kingdom' and saw similarities between themes that Camus seems to think a lot about - like separation, estrangement, love and the absurd. However, i thought that in The Plague, Camus' narrative was less descriptive as in his short stories and was a far more monotonous read - as absurd fiction, that was to be expected, i suspect.
i thought that pestilence stood for a great many things besides its lit More...
I have read Camus' short stories entitled 'Exile and the Kingdom' and saw similarities between themes that Camus seems to think a lot about - like separation, estrangement, love and the absurd. However, i thought that in The Plague, Camus' narrative was less descriptive as in his short stories and was a far more monotonous read - as absurd fiction, that was to be expected, i suspect.
i thought that pestilence stood for a great many things besides its lit More...
Oct 21, 2011
Roberta
rated it:
Il Grande Male
Orano è una città felice come tante altre. Un infausto giorno i topi di Orano cominciano a morire e pian piano si fa strada nella coscienza delle autorità locali la consapevolezza che si tratta di peste. Dopo i primi contagi umani l'intera città viene messa in quarantena e le autorità si organizzano per fronteggiare l'epidemia.
Camus ci presenta svariati personaggi in questo resoconto, stilato in terza persona da uno di essi, il dottor Rieux. I cittadini di Orano si dibatt More...
Orano è una città felice come tante altre. Un infausto giorno i topi di Orano cominciano a morire e pian piano si fa strada nella coscienza delle autorità locali la consapevolezza che si tratta di peste. Dopo i primi contagi umani l'intera città viene messa in quarantena e le autorità si organizzano per fronteggiare l'epidemia.
Camus ci presenta svariati personaggi in questo resoconto, stilato in terza persona da uno di essi, il dottor Rieux. I cittadini di Orano si dibatt More...
