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33rd out of 45 books
—
34 voters
Caligula and Three Other Plays
This English edition includes the plays Caligula, The Misunderstanding (Le Malentendu), State of Siege (L'État de siège), and The Just Assassins (Les Justes).
Paperback, Collected English Edition, 320 pages
Published
February 12th 1962
by Vintage
(first published 1950)
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Nobel prizewinner and co-founder of French existentialism Camus was a playwright as well as a novelist and essayist. This book presents four of his plays, including the best known, “Caligula.” All were written in the 30s and 40s, with WWII in the backgound. Three of the plays wrestle with the violent politics of that era, and all four with la condition humaine.
*Caligula. Caligula is young emperor of Rome. So far he has been a just and good leader. But the recent death of his sister and lover D...more
*Caligula. Caligula is young emperor of Rome. So far he has been a just and good leader. But the recent death of his sister and lover D...more
I actually think that Camus was one of the greatest geniuses of the 20th century, so I came into these plays expecting them to be good.
I will say that I think some of these plays (at least Caligula and State of Siege) would be rather difficult to stage, and I'd be fascinated to see you they were done during Camus' time. But my favorite of these plays was actually The Misunderstanding. I feel like the end was really powerful, because I took the old servant to be God, which makes his refusal to he...more
I will say that I think some of these plays (at least Caligula and State of Siege) would be rather difficult to stage, and I'd be fascinated to see you they were done during Camus' time. But my favorite of these plays was actually The Misunderstanding. I feel like the end was really powerful, because I took the old servant to be God, which makes his refusal to he...more
It is interesting to turn to Albert Camus the playwright immediately after reading a dozen Greek tragedies. With the exception of the gods' absence from the Frenchman's work, I find he was very self-consciously following in the footsteps of the Athenian tragedians:
After a rather long experience as director, actor, and dramatist, it seems to me there is no true theater without language and style, nor any dramatic work which does not, like our classical drama and the Greek tragedians, involve huma...more
Camus was never praised for his subtlety, but his style is a little high-flown for me here.
The flagship play is great; Caligula is a terrifyingly real villain despite his exaggerations of character. This is probably Camus' darkest criticism of nihilism, and since I always thought Camus was particularly nihilist, I'll have to reevaluate the man.
The Misunderstanding is a chore of a read; the nods at the biblical stories of Cain and Abel, as well as the parable of the prodigal son (with Martha pla...more
The flagship play is great; Caligula is a terrifyingly real villain despite his exaggerations of character. This is probably Camus' darkest criticism of nihilism, and since I always thought Camus was particularly nihilist, I'll have to reevaluate the man.
The Misunderstanding is a chore of a read; the nods at the biblical stories of Cain and Abel, as well as the parable of the prodigal son (with Martha pla...more
"Yes I have little regard for an art that deliberately aims to shock because it is unable to convince. And if I happened, by ill luck, to be scandalous, this would result solely from that immoderate devotion to truth which an artist cannot renounce without giving up his art itself."
- From the author's preface
"I've merely realized that there's only one way of getting even with the gods. All that's needed is to be as cruel as they.... I should say the real tyrant is a man who sacrifices a whole n...more
- From the author's preface
"I've merely realized that there's only one way of getting even with the gods. All that's needed is to be as cruel as they.... I should say the real tyrant is a man who sacrifices a whole n...more
Camus' essentially novelistic sensibilities drag down what could otherwise be extremely fascinating and effective plays. Caligula, while it deals with interesting subject matter, is extremely awkwardly written, and I wonder how it would work on stage. The State of Siege, similar in theme to Camus' novel The Plague, employs some entirely fascinating concepts, but would likely work better if written by Eugene Ionesco. The Misunderstanding and The Just Assassins are somewhat more effective, but the...more
Liked all of the except the adaptation of The Possessed. With that said, it was a huge undertaking and I doubt it could ever be executed well.
Read the Indonesian translation. Amazing piece of literature. Still struggling to grasp absurdism and nihilism, however.
Caligula is completely awe inspiring and the misunderstanding is absolutely riveting. the others are mild.
reading "The Misunderstanding"
I can't believe I am saying this about anything of Camus' but, I don't buy it.
I can't believe I am saying this about anything of Camus' but, I don't buy it.
Caligula has difficult and intriguing themes but thankfully, the development is skillful and quite easy to follow. It got me thinking about death, destruction and madness, and I would love to see it staged.
Returned it before reading the 4th play tho
Returned it before reading the 4th play tho
Feb 18, 2009
Nick Black
marked it as to-read
Amazon 2009-02-18.
Life changing!
Ah yes, more Camus.
Jan 08, 2011
Erik Graff
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Camus fans
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
drama
I read this after reading The Stranger for a high school class and The Plague and The Myth of Sisyphus for myself. Camus had impressed me for being intellectually honest and courageously forthright, so I was on a roll, going on to read the above and then Resistance, Rebellion and Death, Neither Victims Nor Executioners etc.
Honestly, although he loved the theatre, Camus was a lousy playwright. Stick with Caligula. The other three are less fulfilling. Or emptying. Depends on your feelings with the absurd.
8.5/10
it is really an irrationality in rationality
May 24, 2013
Jorge Cimentada
marked it as to-read
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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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