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L'étranger

by Albert Camus

3.86 · rating details · 93,801 ratings · 4,002 reviews

Condamné à mort, Meursault. Sur une plage algérienne, il a tué un Arabe. À cause du soleil, dira-t-il, parce qu'il faisait chaud. On n'en tirera rien d'autre. Rien ne le fera plus réagir : ni l'annonce de sa condamnation, ni la mort de sa mère, ni les paroles du prêtre avant la fin. Comme si, sur cette plage, il avait soudain eu la révélation de l'universelle équivalence d...more

Paperback, 184 pages

Published December 1st 1990 by Gallimard Education (first published 1942)

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Jun 29, 2008

Trevor rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: literature

I don’t know what to do with these stars anymore. I give stars to books and then I think, ‘god, you give five stars to everything, people will think you are terribly undiscriminating’ – so then I give four stars or even three stars to some books. Then I look back and it turns out that that I’ve given four stars to Of Human Bondage and honestly, how could I possibly have thought it was a good idea to give that book less than five stars? It is the absurdity of human conventions that has us doin...more

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May 11, 2008

Chris rated it

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If every few words of praise I’ve seen for “The Stranger” over my lifetime materialized into small chunks of rock in space, there’d be enough sh!t to conjure up the Oort Cloud. Much like this distant collection of debris bordering the outer solar system, I can’t really comprehend the acclaim heaped on this story, but luckily, like the Cloud, it’s usually out of sight, out of mind, and has absolutely no discernable current influence on my life. And just like the Oort can occasionally spit a chun...moreIf every few words of praise I’ve seen for “The Stranger” over my lifetime materialized into small chunks of rock in space, there’d be enough sh!t to conjure up the Oort Cloud. Much like this distant collection of debris bordering the outer solar system, I can’t really comprehend the acclaim heaped on this story, but luckily, like the Cloud, it’s usually out of sight, out of mind, and has absolutely no discernable current influence on my life. And just like the Oort can occasionally spit a chunk of sh!t at the earth and devastate all life upon it, so too can I hear/read some lip service paid to “The Stranger” resulting in my transition to Freak-Out Mode, resulting in me slapping someone in the face, usually someone I have to deal with again at some point in time (if only in court).

Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is. Armed with a 100-word vocabulary, a meager 123 pages to bore one with, and a character who simply doesn’t seem to give much of a damn, Camus somehow shook the world of literature with this inane garbage. I haven’t sat down to conduct a thorough analysis, but using some reasonable guesstimation I will say that the average sentence in this book is about eight words long. I’m not asking that every sentence in a book run the length of a page, but the end result when employed by Camus was that either a twelve year old or some sort of retarded robot wrote this. (Cue robot voice) It struck me as strange. The sentences were so short. It was very peculiar. This could be read very fast. I began to read this on the train on my in to work. I finished it on my way back home.

Who the hell writes like that? More importantly, who the hell reads a book like that and suspects therein lay some complexity? Each time I noticed how condensed everything was it occurred to me that somehow the literati had spent all this time adoring the published equivalent of a commercial.

Here’s a snapshot of the dude we’re supposed to give a hoot about. He doesn’t readily assimilate to or accept the conventional mores everyone else seems accustomed to. He’s not overly concerned, but he seemingly knows there’s some kind of disconnect. He’s also not out to go f#ck with the system for lack of anything better to do or in some attempt to make a statement. He’s pretty emotionless, he shows some genuine concern for himself at times, but even those close to him really aren’t too significant in his grand picture. His testicles are extremely small and sterile, and he fondles them often.

Not long after the death of his mother, Our Hero is chilling on the beach when some Arabs come around looking to start sh!t with an acquaintance of his, and after a small skirmish earlier in the day, Our Man goes back down to the beach and shoots an Arab. He gets arrested and pretty much just goes with the flow, he rolls over and let’s the prosecution have their way with his scrawny white ass. The whole time he pretty much just thinks it’s all pretty ridiculous and isn’t too concerned with the proceedings.

I wasn’t too concerned about the book. More than anything I was just bored with it. There was no build up, there was no action, there was no climax. There was nothing funny, nothing exciting, nothing interesting, and nothing to really take away from the book; just the same words repeating over and over, grouped in strings of seven or eight. The longest sentence in the book was also the only thing which I found even remotely amusing: “Finally I realized that some of the old people were sucking at the insides of their cheeks and making these weird smacking noises”. That isn’t particularly funny, but compared to the rest of the book it was comedic gold.

“The Stranger” is some seriously weak shit. I’ve gotten more enjoyment from looking a map of Kentucky.
(less)

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Jun 02, 2008

Ryan R rated it

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Shelves: favorites

The book is simply written and a rather quick read, but the depth Camus manages to convey through this simplicity is astounding. I think a problem a lot of people have with this book is that they fail to look beyond the whole "what is the meaning of life" message. While an interesting question, the book raises so many other philosophical questions beyond this. What I found the most interesting of these is "what truly defines humanity or makes someone human?" During Meursault'...more

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Oct 24, 2011

Ian Graye rated it

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Shelves: reviews

If You Exist

"The Stranger" dramatises the issues at the heart of existentialism.
The same issues are probably at the heart of life, whether or not you believe in a god.

Being Judged

It's interesting that there has been a crime and now Meursault is being "judged".
The judgement is symbolic not only of the justice system, but of God's judgement of humanity.

Defending Yourself

You would normally expect the defenda...more

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Nov 21, 2008

Danny rated it

· review of another edition

The Stranger is considered by many to be one of the most important philosophical novels of the 20th Century. In most college courses on Existentialism (a philosophy which holds that human beings create the meaning and essence of their own lives) The Stranger is usually the first thing you will read. If you're interested in philosophy, or Existentialism specifically, The Stranger is a great place to start.

Camus describes Meursault, the main character, only sparingly; and for the major...more

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Sep 09, 2010

karen rated it

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Shelves: littry-fiction

THIS MAN'S MOM DIES HE FEELS NOTHING.

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Feb 02, 2008

Dustin rated it

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The narrator, Meursault, is a fascinating character in that he has an incredible sense of material resignation about him. He absolutely rejects all concepts of importance to the absurd trivialities of life while at the same time living with such simple pleasure that one can't help but smirk reading the descriptions in the first half of the book.

His indifference to the way he is perceived leads him to a very level-headed but unsympathetic countenance regarding his friends and acquainta...moreThe narrator, Meursault, is a fascinating character in that he has an incredible sense of material resignation about him. He absolutely rejects all concepts of importance to the absurd trivialities of life while at the same time living with such simple pleasure that one can't help but smirk reading the descriptions in the first half of the book.

His indifference to the way he is perceived leads him to a very level-headed but unsympathetic countenance regarding his friends and acquaintances. The terrible irony of his character is that he rejects the false certainty of religious sentiment and other such realms of impossibly dubious nature, rejects them along with an understanding and statement of love (which he continually denies to Marie, his girlfriend, who asks him if he loves her periodically), along with material possession and the "bitch goddess" success (he turns down a promotion for "no reason" whatever), Meursault rejects all these common sentiments and yet replaces them with nothing, nothingness, in fact.

He constantly flees from all manifestations of false knowledge, finding them arbitrary. The trial following his murder of an Arab resulted in the victor of the most skillful lawyer instead of whether or not he was guilty, Marie vainly prodded him to proclaim his love for her, to which he replied that the question is nonsense, the priest, assuming that Meursault valued the physical, things of the world, asked him relentlessly why he valued these things and why he doesnt seek God for help in his time of trouble, to which he replied by grabbing him by the cossack (half expecting him to disappear in his hands)and describing the impossibility of being sure of such things, described why he could not believe the same notions, "From the dark horizon of my future a sort of slow, persistent breeze had been blowing toward me, all my life long, from the years that were to come. and on its way that breeze had leveled out all the ideas that people tried to foist on me in the equally unreal years i then was living through."

All is helpless and arbitrary and what can one do but relish that which one is sure of.

"It might look as if my hands were empty. Actually, i was sure of myself, sure about everything, far surer than he; sure of my present life and of the death that was coming. That, no doubt, was all i had; but at least that certainty was something i could get my teeth into - just as it had got its teeth into me. I'd been right, i was still right, i was always right. I'd passed my life in a certain way, and i might have passed it in a different way, if I'd felt like it. I'd acted thus, and i hadn't acted otherwise; I hadn't done x, whereas I had done y or z. And what did that mean? That, all the time, I'd been waiting for this present moment, for that dawn, tomorrow's or another day's, which was to justify me."

"It was as if that great rush of anger had washed me clean, emptied me of hope, and, gazing up at the dark sky spangled with its signs and stars, for the first time, the first, i laid my heart open to the benign indifference of teh universe. To feel it so like myself, indeed, so brotherly, made me realize that I'd been happy, and that I was happy still. For all to be accomplished, for me to feel less lonely, all that remained to hope was that on the day of my execution there should be a huge crowd of spectators and that they should greet me with howls of execration."(less)

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Jun 23, 2007

chris rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: taught-books

I remember loving this book as a teenager, and re-reading it this week, I have felt the same. Meursault is one of the most fascinating characters I've ever read, and at the same time I've always felt a certain kinship to him. Why isn't it okay to not care as deeply, or in the same way, as others, especially on the subjects of love and death? Is there any possible connection we can have with the feelings of another? How would we ever know if we were talking about the same thing? His reaction...more

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Dec 16, 2008

Jeanette rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: classics, all-fiction

I think the "meat" of this book, and what made it a classic, is mostly contained in the final chapter. That's where Camus showed himself for the philosopher that he was. I wasn't wowed by this book, but it was interesting to read. The main character is likable enough to the people around him, but he drove me nuts because he is so passive! He just says, "Yeah, okay" to whatever anyone proposes. He has also never learned the art of dissembling, so he causes trouble for him...more

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Jan 28, 2012

Moonbutterfly rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Readers of Philosophical Novels

Shelves: classics, philosophy, favorites

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT: This is a story about a man who kills Arab in reaction to the environment. He is then brought to trial.

THEMES: This novel demonstrates the philosophy of absurdism and more broadly existentialism.

STYLE: The style of the book is similar to Hemingway and other minimalist. So be prepared for short sentences and little attention to fine details.

OPINION: I wrote this review three times and I still can't articulate in words how I feel about...more

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Apr 03, 2008

Davide di Cagno-Hagen rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Davide by: My Mom

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When I was first handed a copy of The Stranger by Albert Camus, I was apprehensive about it. Most of what I had heard was that it was "absurdist fiction" and all these terms which at the time, I felt pretentious (now knowing better). In January, I wanted to read something short after having spent time reading longer novels, thus at 130 pages, this seemed like a likely candidate. The first night I read the first 50 pages, and finished it the next day.
The book is about Meursault, a...moreWhen I was first handed a copy of The Stranger by Albert Camus, I was apprehensive about it. Most of what I had heard was that it was "absurdist fiction" and all these terms which at the time, I felt pretentious (now knowing better). In January, I wanted to read something short after having spent time reading longer novels, thus at 130 pages, this seemed like a likely candidate. The first night I read the first 50 pages, and finished it the next day.
The book is about Meursault, a young Algerian whose mother dies very early on in the novel. He goes to her memorial, where he spends the night. The novel goes on to describe his relationship with a woman in the neighborhood. One day they decide to go to their friend's beach house. While there, Meursault and his friend run into a group of Arab teenagers who Meursault's friend has problems with. The glare and each other and keep walking. Later, after lunch, Meursault goes out by himself while the others are napping. He takes his friends gun, which was never explained. As he's walking he comes up on one of the Arabs sleeping. Without any explanation, he murders the sleeping man. The rest of the book goes into his imprisonment and trial. The trial is extremely important in the book because the lead prosecutor claims the murder was premeditated because Meursault showed insensitivity on the day of his mother's death. He is sentenced to death by guillotine. The final chapter of the book is dedicated to his thoughts of the execution and the existence of God. The story ends with the bold quote:

"As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself — so like a brother, really — I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate."

I enjoyed this book very much. I loved how it was written and the language. The short span of life we see of Meursault was great. I generally agree that this is one of the greatest books I've ever read. A must read.(less)

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Sep 15, 2007

Cindy rated it

· review of another edition

I started this book, finally, understanding that it was an example of existentialist philosophy but knowing little else. I began reading and immediately felt lost in the randomness of it all, in the detailed descriptions of settings and the truncated passages dealing with human exchanges. It was like I was a pinball, being randomly thrown about, much like the protaganist (though he had more input than he would likely admit). I finally had my lightbulb moment, realized that this was the point,...more

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Jul 24, 2007

افشین افشار rated it

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این کتاب داستان یک مرد درونگرا به نام مرسو را تعریف می‌کند که مرتکب قتلی می‌شود و در سلول زندان در انتظار اعدام خویش است. داستان در دههٔ ۳۰ در الجزایر رخ می‌دهد.

داستان به دو قسمت تقسیم می‌شود. در قسمت اول مرسو در مراسم تدفین مادرش شرکت می‌کند و در عین حال هیچ تاثر و احساس خاصی از خود نشان نمی‌دهد. داستان با ترسیم روزهای بعد از دید شخصیت اصلی داستان ادامه می‌یابد. مرسو به عنوان انسانی بدون هیچ اراده به پیشرفت در زندگی ترسیم می‌شود. او هیچ رابطهٔ احساسی بین خود و افراد دیگر برقرار نمی‌...moreاین کتاب داستان یک مرد درونگرا به نام مرسو را تعریف می‌کند که مرتکب قتلی می‌شود و در سلول زندان در انتظار اعدام خویش است. داستان در دههٔ ۳۰ در الجزایر رخ می‌دهد.

داستان به دو قسمت تقسیم می‌شود. در قسمت اول مرسو در مراسم تدفین مادرش شرکت می‌کند و در عین حال هیچ تاثر و احساس خاصی از خود نشان نمی‌دهد. داستان با ترسیم روزهای بعد از دید شخصیت اصلی داستان ادامه می‌یابد. مرسو به عنوان انسانی بدون هیچ اراده به پیشرفت در زندگی ترسیم می‌شود. او هیچ رابطهٔ احساسی بین خود و افراد دیگر برقرار نمی‌کند و در بی تفاوتی خود و پیامدهای حاصل از آن زندگی اش را سپری می‌کند. او از این که روزهایش را بدون تغییری در عادت‌های خود می‌گذراند خشنود است.

همسایهٔ مرسو که ریمون سنته نام دارد و متهم به فراهم آوردن شغل برای روسپیان است با او رفیق می‌شود. مرسو به سنته کمک می‌کند یک معشوقهٔ او را که سنته ادعا می‌کند دوست دختر قبلی او است به سمت خود بکشد. سنته به آن زن فشار می‌آورد و او را تحقیر می‌کند. مدتی بعد مرسو و سنته کنار ساحل به برادر آن زن(«مرد عرب») و دوستانش برمی خورند. اوضاع از کنترل خارج می‌شود و کار به کتک کاری می‌کشد. پس از آن مرسو بار دیگر «مرد عرب» را در ساحل می‌بیند و این بار کس دیگری جز آن‌ها در اطراف نیست. بدون دلیل مشخص مرسو به سمت مرد عرب تیراندازی می‌کند که در فاصلهٔ امنی از او از سایهٔ صخره‌ای در گرمای سوزنده لذت می‌برد.

در قسمت دوم کتاب محاکمهٔ مرسو آغاز می‌شود. در این جا شخصیت اول داستان برای اولین بار با تاثیری که بی اعتنایی و بی تفاوتی برخورد او بر دیگران می‌گذارد رو به رو می‌شود. اتهام راست بی خدا بودنش را بدون کلامی می‌پذیرد. او رفتار اندولانت (اصطلاح روانشناسی برای کسی که در مواقع قرار گرفتن در وضعیت‌های خاص از خود احساس متناسب نشان نمی‌دهد و بی اعتنا باقی می‌ماند- از درد تاثیر نمی‌پذیرد یا آن را حس نمی‌کند) خود را به عنوان قانون منطقی زندگی اش تفسیر می‌کند. او به اعدام محکم می‌شود. آلبر کامو در این رمان آغازی برای فلسفهٔ پوچی خود که بعد به چاپ می‌رسد، فراهم می‌آورد.(less)

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Jul 24, 2007

Jonathan rated it

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Shelves: life_and_other_atrocities

Je ne l’avais jamais lu, mais j’en avais entendu parler. Je l’ai donc découvert avec une forte attente, et je n’ai pas été déçu. Je me contenterai ici de rapporter le commentaire de Camus lui-même qui fit la préface d’une édition universitaire américaine de ce roman. J’ai adoré. C’est peu de le dire.

"J’ai résumé L’ Étranger, il y a longtemps, par une phrase dont je reconnais qu’elle est très paradoxale : ’Dans notre société tout homme qui ne pleure pas à l’enterrement de sa ...moreJe ne l’avais jamais lu, mais j’en avais entendu parler. Je l’ai donc découvert avec une forte attente, et je n’ai pas été déçu. Je me contenterai ici de rapporter le commentaire de Camus lui-même qui fit la préface d’une édition universitaire américaine de ce roman. J’ai adoré. C’est peu de le dire.

"J’ai résumé L’ Étranger, il y a longtemps, par une phrase dont je reconnais qu’elle est très paradoxale : ’Dans notre société tout homme qui ne pleure pas à l’enterrement de sa mère risque d’être condamné à mort.’ Je voulais dire seulement que le héros du livre est condamné parce qu’il ne joue pas le jeu. En ce sens, il est étranger à la société où il vit, il erre, en marge, dans les faubourgs de la vie privée, solitaire, sensuelle. Et c’est pourquoi des lecteurs ont été tentés de le considérer comme une épave. Meursault ne joue pas le jeu. La réponse est simple : il refuse de mentir. Mentir ce n’est pas seulement dire ce qui n’est pas. C’est aussi, c’est surtout dire plus que ce qui est et, en ce qui concerne le cœur humain, dire plus qu’on ne sent. C’est ce que nous faisons tous, tous les jours, pour simplifier la vie. Meursault, contrairement aux apparences, ne veut pas simplifier la vie. Il dit ce qu’il
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L’étranger

est, il refuse de masquer ses sentiments et aussitôt la société se sent menacée. On lui demande par exemple de dire qu’il regrette son crime, selon la formule consacrée. Il répond qu’il éprouve à cet égard plus d’ennui que de regret véritable. Et cette nuance le condamne.

Meursault pour moi n’est donc pas une épave, mais un homme pauvre et nu, amoureux du soleil qui ne laisse pas d’ombres. Loin qu’il soit privé de toute sensibilité, une passion profonde, parce que tenace, l’anime, la passion de l’absolu et de la vérité. Il s’agit d’une vérité encore négative, la vérité d’être et de sentir, mais sans laquelle nulle conquête sur soi et sur le monde ne sera jamais possible." "On ne se tromperait donc pas beaucoup en lisant dans L’ Étranger l’histoire d’un homme qui, sans aucune attitude héroïque, accepte de mourir pour la vérité. Il m’est arrivé de dire aussi, et toujours paradoxalement, que j’avais essayé de figurer dans mon personnage le seul christ que nous méritions. On comprendra, après mes explications, que je l’aie dit sans aucune intention de blasphème et seulement avec l’affection un peu ironique qu’un artiste a le droit d’éprouver à l’égard des personnages de sa création."

[http://jonathan.touboul.free.fr/article.php3?id_article=43](less)

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Jun 04, 2007

Rebecca rated it

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Recommends it for: grown-ups

Shelves: thingsilove

Albert Camus, the French Algerian author of this book, as well as two of my favorite collections of humanist essays, "Resistance Rebellion and Death," and "The Myth of Sisyphus," was one of the great novelists of the 20th century. This book, relatively short and quick reading for as much as it tells and does, is a complex psychological portrait of a killer. But Marceaux is not a weird, twisted, evil killer, but a killer whose major failing is his inability to recognize th...more

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Jul 03, 2007

AJ Griffin rated it

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Recommends it for: anyone who wants to feel deep and troubled and needs a vehicle to express it

Yeah yeah, I liked this book just like everyone else.

Unfortunately, this was one of three assigned to our AP class for summer reading one year, and the inspiration for everydimwitteddogooder"ihaveasensitiveside" asshole in my grade to suddenly "discover" the concept of existentialism.

Suddenly, having nothing better to worry about besides the utter pointlessness and/or meaning of life was the hippest thing since Capri Sun. The phrase "I'm a big fa...more

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Nov 13, 2008

Maggie rated it

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Shelves: classics, 2008, audiobooks

Call it existensialist, call it pessimistic, or just flat out boring, but no matter what you call it, this is one of the most affecting novels I've ever read. It encourages free thinking, as the narrator doesn't give you any direction on how to feel or what to think about events over the course of the novel. As Tina would say "it's a thinker."

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Feb 21, 2011

Milo rated it

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Shelves: 10-stars, well-played-sir, classic

Alright, so after some thought I'm finally ready to consolidate my thoughts of this novel.

This books follows the character Meursault and shows us his perverse and somehow refreshing outlook on life. He is completely disinterested in things that social life revolves around like marriage, elevations of status, etc... in essence he is the ultimate nonchalant bum. His life is hollow but he is utterly unconcerned with this and goes on quietly existing in the most comfortable way possible.
...more

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Dec 25, 2009

K.D. rated it

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Recommends it for: Tata J (to read this again)

Recommended to K.D. by: 501, 1001, 100 Books for Men

Shelves: 1001-core, 501, guy-lit

"When a recent poll of the books men felt most affecting was run (by a team of female researchers), that the clear winner was Albert Camus' arid existentialist masterpiece The Outsider (a.k.a. The Stranger or L’Étranger 1942), the iconic tale of an indifferent man drawn to murder. So while the ladies voted overwhelmingly for the majestic, slow-burning passion and quiet commitment of classic romance Jane Eyre (1847) as their favorite read, men opted en masse for contingency, solipsism and am

...more

"When a recent poll of the books men felt most affecting was run (by a team of female researchers), that the clear winner was Albert Camus' arid existentialist masterpiece The Outsider (a.k.a. The Stranger or L’Étranger 1942), the iconic tale of an indifferent man drawn to murder. So while the ladies voted overwhelmingly for the majestic, slow-burning passion and quiet commitment of classic romance Jane Eyre (1847) as their favorite read, men opted en masse for contingency, solipsism and ambivalence."

- 100 Must-Read Books for Men (pp. xvi)

This is my 2nd book included in the Bloomsbury Good Reading Guide's 100 Must-Read Books for Men (the first being J.D.Salinger's THE CATCHER IN THE RYE) and I was again amazed on how much different and enjoyable a book that is straightforward and almost emotionless prose can be. Both of these books are totally devoid of melodrama but full of philosophical meanings. For The Stranger, they say that it is existentialism.

Straight from Wikipedia:
Existentialism is a term applied to the work of a number of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, generally held that the focus of philosophical thought should be to deal with the conditions of existence of the individual person and his or her emotions, actions, responsibilities, and thoughts. However, but Camus himself refused this particular label. Specifically, his views contributed to the rise of the more current philosophy known as absurdism which is a philosophy stating that the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe ultimately fail (and hence are absurd), because no such meaning exists, at least in relation to the individual. "The Absurd", therefore, is commonly used in absurdist philosophical discourse to refer to the incongruity between the human search for meaning and the universe's lack of meaning. In this context absurd does not mean "logically impossible," but rather "humanly impossible.

In the story, the main protagonist, Mersault's mother did not die and he did not kill the Arab only for the reader's entertainment but for us to question our morality and how we deal with our reality in practical terms. It becomes absurd because of how Mersault faces the reality of death and he thought that it is not humanly impossible for him to turn to God so he attacked the chaplain and hope that during his execution the public will display their hatred towards him.

Overall, it was a breath of fresh air and a good break for the escapists novels that are dominating our bookstores nowadays. Since I read this only for one day, it made my Christmas 2009 meaningful and memorable.

Thanks Tata J for buying this book for me at Bookmates, UP Campus and for finding out that The Outsider is the same as The Stranger. I can never ask for a better brother who shares with me his passion for reading. (less)

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Dec 08, 2010

Jasmine rated it

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Shelves: algerian

The first edition I ever owned of this book was one that I stole from my teacher my sophmore year of high school. This was somehow not very frowned upon at my school, because I could come up with at least 15 books that I kept after reading for class. Somewhere along the line that edition took a dive, I don't know what happened to it, but I know it no longer exists and for the first time I insisted on getting a hardcover of a book so it would last. I love this book. even after all these years I s...moreThe first edition I ever owned of this book was one that I stole from my teacher my sophmore year of high school. This was somehow not very frowned upon at my school, because I could come up with at least 15 books that I kept after reading for class. Somewhere along the line that edition took a dive, I don't know what happened to it, but I know it no longer exists and for the first time I insisted on getting a hardcover of a book so it would last. I love this book. even after all these years I still think it is the best book ever written, in my terribly subjective opinion.

When I was, eh I don't know how old, but it was in my mom's current house so at least 14, and probably closer to that rather than older, I came home one day and my mom told me she had some really bad news. She went to the doctor and they had found a lump on her collar bone(I think) and she had cancer (before you get all worried, she found out a week later she didn't). Because of the type of person I was then, and still am now, I asked either was she likely to die or when was she going to die (it was 10 years ago I'm mildly fuzzy on the details). My mother got angry started crying and I went to my room to do whatever I had been planning on doing when I got home without getting an answer. On the other hand when my brother came home she told him the same thing, he gave her a hug and told her he loved her. In the world of the stranger what I did was akin to committing murder.

I have never been prone to apologizing,I am more likely to say I've been misunderstood, or I don't care what someone thinks then to ever apologize. Historically among my close friends I'm known to be the one that says, and I quote, "I'm sorry you took it badly."

At one point in this book Meursault says that remorse doesn't make any sense to him because he focuses on the future. This makes sense to me. I did in that moment what seemed right apologizing seems strange to me. This is not to say that I might not regret poor judgment, and sometimes I do think it would have been more convenient to not have done something, but I have always been confused about how remorse is actually helpful, especially since in most cases if I'm honest, all things equal I would probably do the exact same thing. When people say if I had it to live over, they mean if I had it to live over without forgetting that I'd already fucked it up once. Well you don't and you won't so I'm not sure why you would want to go around feeling bad about it when there are so many other things to think about.

On that note I don't feel bad about what I said to my mother, in the story I began with. I don't look back and think god if only I had been smart enough not to. Because to me my reaction made sense and my brother's didn't. This is not to say that I don't get that according to society my brother's reaction was the right one, I understand that completely, I just find it difficult to have any desire to have take the correct course of action.

For me this book is really the crash that happens right there. If you have an intelligent person who acts outside society what happens. Meursault is not stupid, and he isn't sociopathic, he simply doesn't react like a regular person, and he knows that his reactions are odd. But it seems for him it is more important to react authentically to interact with the world as he enjoys it (though sensory systems) than to be viewed as fulfilling societal standards. There is a conflict though, he wants people to like him, he wants to be able to explain himself, but he can't. The book is about refusing to fulfill expectations.

I think this book is hopeful and from my experience less than half the people who read it see this. But I think that those who see it are those who are different and recognize themselves as different. Because the real importance the real beauty of absurdism is if there is no meaning if nothing is ever going to matter you have every right to live your life for yourself. Meursault like Bartelby gives us the courage to say "I prefer not" and that is the real beauty of this book.

*******
This is my favorite book of all time. The best thing about this is the fact that the main character is like no person that you will ever meet even in another Camus story. Meursault is either the man you want to be or the man you want to destroy. Or perhaps you just don't care. (less)

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Aug 21, 2008

Reza rated it

· review of another edition

کامو
نویسنده ای است با مکتب ادبی اگزیستانسیالیسم که خود یکی از سردمداران این مکتب است.
کتاب بیگانه
داستان روایت زندگی سرد و ساکت شخصی بنام مورسو است که می توان آن را به تنهایی و انزوای آدمی بعد از جنگ جهانی دوم تعمیم داد.
خواننده ناخودآگاه در نگاه اول احساس می کند با انسانی مواجه است که روان پریشانش باعث بروز آن عکس العملهای غیر متعارف میشود اما با کمی ریزبینی می توانیم خود را به مورسو نزدیک کنیم واحساس همزاد پنداری بیشتری با او برقرار نمائیم.
احساس کسالت مورسو بعد از در...more

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Mar 03, 2008

Will W rated it

· review of another edition

Shocking and powerful. The story in some ways is a reflection of thoughts and feelings I have myself. Camus creates a portrait of an ordinary person stuck in a moment any of us might find ourselves in as well. It is painful to read--like a dream when your body is responding in sort of the opposite way that your mind is telling it. I know I need to re-read it to get more out of it.

Some quotes that ripped at me:
“I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets...more

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Jun 22, 2007

lisa a. rated it

· review of another edition

this book blew my mind. i haven't had one like this in a while - a book i've heard of mostly in passing, one i know little about - and it exceeds any expectations i have for it. i'm still trying to work out the notorious existentialism of it.

the power of the narrative voice is so strong! i found myself siding with meursalt, the narrator even when he did things that are obviously immoral or societally wrong. why could i so easily identify with his train of thought and the ironically i...more

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Apr 05, 2007

Aly rated it

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I usually avoid the most famous book by a particular author when I begin, and so I'd liked what I'd read of Camus before, but I avoided The Stranger. In many cases, I've found that the most popular book isn't always the best, and tends to lead to a bad relationship with the author. Having read The Stranger now, I think it would have been alright to begin with it, maybe even beneficial. In reading The First Man and The Plague, I'd acclimated to Camus' style, but I don't think I would have needed ...more

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Jun 22, 2007

Taylor rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who like character-driven novels and don't mind stories that aren't particularly happy

Shelves: fiction, for-school

A fascinating portrait of the dangers of apathy, as well as just how much can be made of even the slightest actions. What really condemns this man, moreso than the fact that he killed someone, is his ability to move through life unaffected, small actions that hold no weight ordinarily but seemed to under the circumstances of his mother's death - smoking a cigarette, going to see a movie.

If people who "feel too much" have ever longed to taste the other side, this should quel...more

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Apr 04, 2009

Dot rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who don't care that existential crises are de rigueur

I, like everyone else, was 17 when I read this book. And I had just gotten done reading Madame Bovary and Return of the Native, so when I opened this and he's talking about catching a bus, I was like "OH MY GOD! They have buses in this book! It's not a zillion years old!" and was just so happy I was reading something that had been written that century.

Everybody knows the story. French dude kills an Arab dude, goes on trial, existentialist shit. I haven't read the other tran...more

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Apr 04, 2007

Nan rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

This is my all-time favorite book. The date listed is the latest reading, as I've now read it several times. A lot of people don't like this book because it's "depressing." First of all, I don't find it depressing at all. Sure, the guys personal viewpoint isn't one I share, but the overall message of the book is that we choose how we feel in any given situation, even if we don't have a lot of control over what's going on around us. Secondly, it's well-written, and, well, if you ju...more

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Dec 12, 2010

Tim Weakley rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 50-book-challenge-2010

I have to begin this review by mentioning that the version of The Stranger to which it refers is the translation by Matthew Ward, and as such it might be different from that of other reviews here. I found this Americanized translation to be a clear, engaging, and stark version of this work. Strangely I found the prose to be very reminiscent of Hemingway.
Camus shows us the founding of absurdism in this book. Meursault experiences the world in a limited sensual way. He eats. He drinks. He s...moreI have to begin this review by mentioning that the version of The Stranger to which it refers is the translation by Matthew Ward, and as such it might be different from that of other reviews here. I found this Americanized translation to be a clear, engaging, and stark version of this work. Strangely I found the prose to be very reminiscent of Hemingway.
Camus shows us the founding of absurdism in this book. Meursault experiences the world in a limited sensual way. He eats. He drinks. He swims. It’s all sensual but superficial. He doesn’t think of anything past his immediate perceptions. The book begins with the death of his mother. Even this doesn’t penetrate into his inner self. All he thinks of if his hunger and fatigue while sitting with the body of his mother.
When we come to the eventual crisis of the book and the murder of the Arab on the beach even this isn’t done in a passion but in sickness. He is suffering from the heat on the beach and hallucinates his way into killing his victim.
The second half of the book is a study in how little Meursault changes. He doesn’t even realize how serious a position he is in until he’s actually at his trial! And this is followed by the sudden realization that he’s actually guilty of murder comes as a surprise only to Meursault. The rest of the book is taken up by the trial and Meursault waiting for his execution in his jail cell. He’s visited repeatedly by a priest who tries to make him have faith in something outside himself, or to even acknowledge that there might be something outside of his own mentality but with no success. Meursault we have to assume goes to the guillotine as clueless as he has lived his life.
I think this has to be one of the best short works I have ever read. I have never been a backer of absurdism but with this book as its introduction it has a certain appeal. My favourite characters have to be the old man and his dog. I think they are also the saddest. I have no sadness for Meursault. He kills himself as well as the Arab.
One of the best books I’ve read this year.
(less)

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Nov 30, 2011

Mohammed rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction, classics, alltime-favourites

The great thing about The Stranger is that it's not only about the philosophy. Camus doesnt forget to tell an exciting story about the compelling and disaffected Meursault beside the philosophical messages.

That makes this novel so powerful and brilliant. I can only hope his other novels,stories reach similar heights.

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Aug 06, 2011

Wayne rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: the Curious

Recommended to Wayne by: Camus' reputation

Shelves: european-favourites, french-classics, philosophy, books-i-ve-thrown-across-the-room

REVIEW DEDICATED TO LAURA WHO HAS SUFFERED.

O!!!!h.....

Oh why oh why am I reading yet another of Monsieur Camus' 'novels' ???

I very rarely go to French films any more.
I'm sick of being disappointed.
Colette, de Maupassant, Hugo, Voltaire ....love'em!!!!!
But now, it's oh...so wanky!!!!!!

So....'The Outsider"
It's difficult to be interested in a character who is so indifferent to everything around him including himself.He co...more

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About Albert Camus

Albert Camus was an Algerian-born French author, philosopher, and journalist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. He is often cited as a proponent of existentialism (the philosophy that he was associated with during his own lifetime), but Camus himself rejected this particular label. Specifically, his views contributed to the rise of the more current philosophy known as absurdis...more

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“I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world.” — 259 people liked it

“I have no idea what's awaiting me, or what will happen when this all ends. For the moment I know this: there are sick people and they need curing.” — 246 people liked it

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