Camus, Albert, 1913-60, French writer, b. Algiers. Camus was one of the most important authors and thinkers of the 20th cent. While a student at the Univ. of Algiers, he formed a theater group and adapted, directed, and acted in plays. He became active in social reform and was briefly a member of the Communist party. Shortly after his essay Noces [weddings] appeared (1939), he went to Paris as a journalist. In World War II he joined the French resistance and was principal editor of the underground paper Combat.

Noted for his vigorous, concise, and lucid style, Camus soon gained recognition as a major literary figure. His belief that man's condition is absurd identified him with the existentialists (see existentialism), but he denied allegiance to that group; his works express rather a courageous humanism. The characters in his novels and plays, although keenly aware of the meaninglessness of the human condition, assert their humanity by rebelling against their circumstances.

His essay Le Mythe de Sisyphe (1942, tr. The Myth of Sisyphus, 1955) formulates his theory of the absurd and is the philosophical basis of his novel L'Étranger (1942, tr. The Stranger, 1946) and of his plays Le Malentendu (1944, tr. Cross Purpose, 1948) and Caligula (1944, tr. 1948). The essay L'Homme révolté (1951, tr. The Rebel, 1954), dealing with historical, spiritual, and political rebellion, treats themes found in the novels La Peste (1947, tr. The Plague, 1948) and La Chute (1956, tr. The Fall, 1957). Other works include the plays L'État de siège (1948, tr. State of Siege, 1958); and Les Justes (1950, tr. The Just Assassins, 1958); journalistic essays; and stories. Camus was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature. The first draft of an autobiographical novel, found in a briefcase after his death in a car crash, was published as Le Premier Homme (1994, tr. The First Man, 1995).

(born Nov. 7, 1913, Mondovi, Alg.—died Jan. 4, 1960, near Sens, France) Algerian-French novelist, essayist, and playwright. Born into a working-class family, Camus graduated from the university in Algiers and then worked with a theatrical company, becoming associated with leftist causes. He spent the war years in Paris, and the French Resistance brought him into the circle of Jean-Paul Sartre and existentialism. He became a leading literary figure with his enigmatic first novel, The Stranger (1942), a study of 20th-century alienation, and the philosophical essay “The Myth of Sisyphus” (1942), an analysis of contemporary nihilism and the concept of the absurd. The Plague (1947), his allegorical second novel, and “The Rebel” (1951), another long essay, developed related issues. Other major works include the short-story collection Exile and the Kingdom (1957) and the posthumous autobiographical novel The First Man (1994). His plays include Le Malentendu (1944) and Caligula (1944). Camus won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. He died in a car accident.

Learn more about Camus, Albert with a free trial on Britannica.com.

(born Nov. 7, 1913, Mondovi, Alg.—died Jan. 4, 1960, near Sens, France) Algerian-French novelist, essayist, and playwright. Born into a working-class family, Camus graduated from the university in Algiers and then worked with a theatrical company, becoming associated with leftist causes. He spent the war years in Paris, and the French Resistance brought him into the circle of Jean-Paul Sartre and existentialism. He became a leading literary figure with his enigmatic first novel, The Stranger (1942), a study of 20th-century alienation, and the philosophical essay “The Myth of Sisyphus” (1942), an analysis of contemporary nihilism and the concept of the absurd. The Plague (1947), his allegorical second novel, and “The Rebel” (1951), another long essay, developed related issues. Other major works include the short-story collection Exile and the Kingdom (1957) and the posthumous autobiographical novel The First Man (1994). His plays include Le Malentendu (1944) and Caligula (1944). Camus won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. He died in a car accident.

Learn more about Camus, Albert with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Camus may mean:

People

• Albert Camus, French author and philosopher
• Thane Camus, American-born television personality in Japan
• Matilde Camus, Spanish poet and researcher
• Marcel Camus, French film director and Golden Palm winner
• Jean-Pierre Camus, French bishop and writer
• Camus Celli (Songwriter/Record Producer)
• Camus (musician)
• Danish captain who led invasions against the Scots around 1000 A.D.
• Louis-Auguste Camus de Richemont, French military chief and baron d'Empire
• Charles Étienne Louis Camus, French mathematician

Companies

• Camus Cognac, a high quality Cognac produced in France.

Places

• Camus, County Galway, a Gaeltacht village in the west of Ireland

Military

• Corps of Army Music, CAMus, the umbrella body for the bands of the British Army

See also

• Aquarius Camus, the guardian of the temple of Aquarius, in Saint Seiya
• The Camus people of Kenya, living around Lake Baringo
• The Camus language, a Maa language spoken by the Camus
• Camus Pfalzgraf von Silvaner Lüneburg, a character in the Japanese anime Meine Liebe and Meine Liebe Wider