Albert Camus
Early Life
Albert Camus was born on November 7, 1913, in Dréan, a small coastal town in French Algeria. His father, Lucien Camus, was a poor agricultural worker who was killed in the Battle of the Marne during World War I when Albert was just a year old. His mother, Catherine Hélène Sintès Camus, was of Spanish descent and worked as a cleaning lady. Camus was raised in extreme poverty, a condition that would greatly influence his philosophical views and writings later in life.
Education
Camus attended primary school in Algiers, where he excelled in his studies despite his impoverished background. He was admitted to the Lycée Bugeaud in Algiers, thanks to a scholarship. There, he was introduced to philosophy by his teacher, Louis Germain, who recognized Camus's intellectual potential and encouraged him to pursue further studies. In 1933, Camus was admitted to the University of Algiers, where he studied philosophy and literature. His studies were interrupted by a bout of tuberculosis, a disease that would affect his health for the rest of his life.
Career
After recovering from his illness, Camus began his career as a journalist for the Alger Républicain, a left-wing newspaper in Algiers. His reporting focused on the social conditions of the native Algerian population, which was suffering under French colonial rule. This work marked the beginning of Camus's lifelong commitment to political activism and his opposition to all forms of oppression.
In 1940, Camus moved to Paris, where he joined the French Resistance movement during World War II. He served as editor-in-chief of the underground newspaper Combat, which was a voice of the Resistance against the German occupation. During this time, he also began to establish himself as a writer and philosopher of note.
Camus's first major philosophical work, "The Myth of Sisyphus", was published in 1942. In this essay, Camus introduced his philosophy of the absurd, which posits that human life is inherently meaningless, and that any attempt to find meaning or purpose in life is futile. This philosophy would become a central theme in much of Camus's later work.
In 1947, Camus published his most famous novel, "The Stranger". The novel tells the story of Meursault, a French Algerian who is indifferent to his own life and the world around him. The novel's exploration of existential themes and its stark portrayal of human alienation made it a classic of 20th-century literature.
Camus's philosophical views evolved over time, moving away from the nihilism of his early work towards a more humanistic philosophy. This shift is evident in his later works, such as "The Plague" and "The Rebel", which advocate for human solidarity and resistance in the face of absurdity.
Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957, in recognition of his significant contribution to contemporary literature and philosophy. He continued to write and publish until his untimely death in a car accident in 1960.
Legacy
Albert Camus is remembered as one of the most influential philosophers and writers of the 20th century. His works continue to be widely read and studied, and his philosophy of the absurd has had a profound impact on existentialist thought. Despite his early death, Camus's legacy endures in his timeless exploration of the human condition and his unwavering commitment to social justice.