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The Outsider

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( 1,186,834 ratings, 57,374 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Outsider by Albert Camus explores the detached life of Meursault, an Algerian man whose indifference to societal norms and emotions leads him to commit a senseless act of violence. The novel delves into existential themes, examining the absurdity of life and the consequences of living authentically in a world that demands conformity. Through its narrative, the book challenges readers to question their own perceptions of morality and meaning.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate thought-provoking narratives that explore themes of absurdism and the human condition. Set against the backdrop of a sun-drenched Algerian setting, the story delves into the life of an emotionally detached protagonist, challenging societal norms and prompting reflections on the meaning of life and personal authenticity. This book may appeal to those who favour philosophical fiction intertwined with suspenseful and existential elements.

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The Outsider

Meursault, his anti-hero, will not lie. When his mother dies, he refuses to show his emotions simply to satisfy the expectations of others. And when he commits a random act of violence on a sun-drenched beach near Algiers, his lack of remorse compounds his guilt in the eyes of society and the law. Yet he is as much a victim as a criminal.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The classic existentialist novel, in a wonderful new translation by Sandra Smith, now in paperback.

Meursault leads an unremarkable bachelor life in Algiers until he commits a random act of violence. His lack of emotion and failure to show remorse only increase his guilt in the eyes of the law, and challenge the fundamental values of society—a set of rules so binding that any person breaking them is condemned as an outsider.

For Meursault, this is an insult to his reason; for Camus, it encapsulates the absurdity of life. In The Outsider (1942), his classic existentialist novel, Camus explores the predicament of the individual who is prepared to face the indifference of the universe, courageously and alone.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Outsider by Albert Camus is praised for its respectful and delicate treatment by Smith in her new version. This edition uncovers an edgy strangeness and retains the sensual and rhythmic quality of Camus' original prose.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780141198064

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 31 October 2013

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by Sandra Smith

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 8.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 102g

Pages: 128

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About the Author

Albert Camus (1913-1960), French novelist, essayist and playwright, is one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. His most famous works include The Myth of Sisyphus (1942), The Plague (1947), The Just (1949), The Rebel (1951) and The Fall (1956). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957, and his last novel, The First Man, unfinished at the time of his death, appeared in print for the first time in 1994, and was published in English soon after by Hamish Hamilton. Sandra Smith was born and raised in New York City and is a Fellow of Robinson College, University of Cambridge, where she teaches French Literature and Language. She has won the French American Foundation Florence Gould Foundation Translation Prize, as well as the PEN Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize.

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