Albert Camus: A Life

I give it five stars here, but with a few caveats. It's an excellent biography of Camus, perhaps the best, as close as Todd got to his subject. The reader should be aware, however, that it is at heart a French book, translated from the French and still retaining much of its French author's flavor. That is to say, sentences are sometimes awkward in translation, and you wonder whether the translator really did a good job of capturing the original author's intent. Furthermore, I often found myself wondering what all these tiny details had to do with the man Camus. Many of the stories were complete non-sequiturs if you're reading for causal links between historical circumstances and the peculiarities and subjects in Camus' writings. But that's how French historians often write. It's actually somewhat appropriate with Camus, a man who wrote about the absurdity of, among other things, seeing the universe as a straightforward narrative. Again, I don't regret giving it five stars; there's really not a better bio of Camus. I enjoyed the book and highly recommend anyone interested in becoming conversant in post-World War French intellectualism or Modernist literature, particularly his theory of the "absurd." (You should read this before reading his Myth of Sisyphus.) Camus is not well-enough known in America, losing out to the much more obviously Marxist vision of Sartre in the course of 20th c. philosophical discussion and academic debate. That's a real shame. This is definitely worth a look.

This is the most detailed and comprehensive biography of Camus I have read. The author has done an incredible amount of research, quoting from some of Camus's little-known private letters and notebooks. For anyone looking for information about the thoughts and beliefs of Camus, Todd's book is a mine of information. I thoroughly recommend it.

It may be nothing more than my inability to enjoy fully the author's style. He doesn't write so much as quote. Virtually every sentence is a quote. For me this is distracting. I'm hardly an expert when it comes to Camus' life and thought, the obvious subject of this biography translated from the French, and others may not be as put off as I am by the endless series of quoting of the biographer's sources and the book is lengthy and informative but it seems disjointed to me by the endless quoting rather than endeavoring to probe and present Camus' style and manner of thinking.

Rapid service, great book

Interest in the author's life.

Long ago, when I was in my early thirties, I read four books by Albert Camus, most importantly The Plague and The Rebel. They freed my thought and changed my life. This abridged biography does not touch on what I found most significant in those books, and I have not looked at the much longer French edition, though I probably know enough French to struggle through it. But I was well satisfied with the English edition as it is because it make Camus the man very real to me. He was committed to a very moral view of political affairs. He was attracted to communism but rejected it without becoming a reactionary, remaining on the left. A French Algerian, he wanted Algeria to remain part of France and strongly opposed the terrorist tactics of the Arab revolutionaries. He did not approve of the torture practiced by the French military in that struggle. Camus was a journalist, a novelist and an essayist of full length books.Camus' personal life is in the foreground of this account of his life. He was married twice, unhappy with both relationships. His first wife was a drug addict and that was enough to end the marriage. His second marriage, to a beautiful and bright women, which lasted until his death, turned out to be more of a brother-sister relationship than a passionate one. He believed that one might love more than one person, and at the time of his death he maintained passionate relationships with no fewer than three extraordinary women, so at the time of his fatal accident he left a wife, two children whom he loved, and three lovers. But his long-suffering spouse, for whom this was not exactly a secret, asked him how he could write about love when he did not know the meaning of love!

Excellent biography of Camus, but be advised that this edition seems to be a cheaply printed, poorly produced PDF scan created in New Haven, CT the day after I purchased it. I'd advise looking for an earlier printing.

I have read most of Camus' books and studied his works in college but was not aware of his turbulent life. I knew he was a womanizer but not to the extent that is shown here.I'm glad I read this on my Kindle so I could just tap the French words for translation. If I didn't have that option I probably would have lowered my rating.The story is worth reading. The struggle he had writing his novels and short stories was unending. I really enjoyed the way the author delved into all aspects of Camus' life. His travels and the people he met are impressive.This is the only biography I have read about Camus. It is worth reading.