Walk While Reading

“Let’s not beat around the bush; I love life — that’s my real weakness. I love it so much that I am incapable of imagining what is not life.”

-Albert Camus, The Fall

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Two new books to my household. One a gift, one I special ordered in for purchase. 

(Source: )

On this day, January 4, 1960 at the age of 46 Albert Camus died in a car accident. May you continue to rest in peace.

Forgotten Bookmarks: A Letter From Albert Camus from Michael Popek

As a general rule, I don’t buy books unseen. I made an exception this weekend and purchased 3,000 books from the estate of a college professor who had passed away. He was a English professor, so I was fairly certain there would be some good titles in the lot. The third book I picked up was a common paperback copy of The Stranger by Albert Camus. There was a folded paper stuck inside, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t have a look

I read The Stranger by Camus a few years back. I just read it, I didn’t think very deeply about what it all meant, what the hell Camus was talking about. Then the other night I stumbled upon The Myth of Sisyphus an essay Camus wrote where he introduces his philosophy of the absurd: man’s futile search for meaning, unity and clarity in the face of an unintelligible world devoid of God and eternal truths or values. Yes, The Stranger is pretty much centered around this philosophy and not some story about a man with no feelings. Well maybe it’s that too. But you get my point. I just wish I did a little bit more ‘learning’ about The Stranger before reading it:  

“The Stranger, Albert Camus characterizes his justification of the absurd through the experiences of a protagonist who simply does not conform to the system. His inherent honesty disturbs the status quo; Meursault’s inability to lie cannot seamlessly integrate him within society and in turn threatens the simple fabrics of human mannerisms expected of a structurally ordered society. Consequently, the punishment for his crime is not decided on the basis of murder, but rather for the startling indifference toward his mother’s recent death. Even after a conflicting spiritual discussion with a pastor inciting Meursault to consider a possible path towards redemption, the latter still refuses to take upon salvation and symbolizes his ultimatum by embracing the “gentle indifference of the world”; an act which only furthers his solidarity with a society incapable of realizing his seemingly inhumane behavior.” [wiki]

Not that it would have changed my views one way or another about the novel, it would’ve just given me a better understanding of what was behind it’s pages.