The Stranger (Camus novel)
It follows Meursault, an indifferent French Algerian man who, weeks after his mother's funeral, kills an unnamed Arab man in Algiers. The story is divided into two parts, presenting Meursault's first-person narrative before and after the killing.
- author
- Albert Camus
- original_language
- French
- genre
- Novella
- themes
- Absurdism, existentialism (despite Camus's rejection of the label)
- setting
- French Algeria
Lore & Background
Even though it was published during the Nazi occupation of France, it went on sale without censorship or omission by the Propaganda-Staffel.
Reader's Guide
Considered a classic of 20th-century literature, The Stranger has received critical acclaim for Camus's philosophical outlook, absurdism, syntactic structure, and existentialism (despite Camus's rejection of the label), particularly within its final chapter. Le Monde ranked The Stranger as number one on its 100 Books of the 20th Century. In Le Temps, it was voted the third best book written in French in the 20th and 21st century by a jury of 50 literary connoisseurs. The story's exploration of detachment, absurdity, and societal judgment continues to influence literature and philosophy.
Did You Know?
- The original French first edition was restricted to 4,400 copies and could not be a bestseller.
- The novella was published during the Nazi occupation of France without censorship by the Propaganda-Staffel.
- The British title The Outsider was chosen to avoid confusion with a translation of Maria Kuncewiczowa's novel Cudzoziemka.
- The Cure's song 'Killing an Arab' is a reference to the novella.
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