Albert Camus is a Nobel Prize–winning author perhaps best known for his existential masterpiece, The Stranger. Critics argue, however, that his epic tale The Plague is the more accomplished novel.
In the small coastal city of Oran, Algeria, rats begin rising from the filth only to die as bloody heaps in the streets. And just as mysteriously as it appeared, the rodent problem seems to vanish. Shortly after, however, many local residents experience intense fevers and then perish—victims of the unseen menace of the bubonic plague. And as life in the town comes to a halt, the survivors attempt to come to terms with their own mortality and the rigors of isolation.
Download and start listening now!
"I love the premise to this book. A plague can strike at any time. I talked to my mother about this and she said that was how the AIDS virus seemed at first, so many good people died and no one really knew how to prevent it, there was no cure and death seemed certain after infection."
— Uli (4 out of 5 stars)
“There are certain things which need to be said now, without care for the future, and these are said…in The Plague.”
— New York Times Book Review" In a hostile world where people are dying but nothing can be done to alleviate their suffering why go on? Camus' answer is that we must find meaning in the hostile world and despite the hostile world. The struggle itself is enough to fill a man's heart. "
— Eclarep, 2/19/2014" I hated every second of this book. So I guess you could say it was effective. 2 stars. "
— Brian, 2/9/2014" An unforgettable journey through despair; yet a chronicle of the strength of the human will, and the goodness of man. An existential tour de force, which asks the question; can one become a saint without believing in God. "
— Jerry, 2/8/2014" Who could guess that a book about the plague would be so perfectly lovely? One of my favorites. Makes up for L'Etranger in high school French. Thank you Sarah Auerbach. "
— Jill, 1/10/2014" Dark and brooding, yet somehow oddly positive, Camus does a great job of illustrating his insistently not-existentialist philosophy, that there is absolute horror all around us but to thumb our nose at it and preserver regardless is the greatest joy one can obtain "
— Jenessa, 1/4/2014" Read this one a long, long time ago. I remember loving it, but the narrative has faded into memory. Must return to it. "
— Jon, 11/21/2013" I read this one very slowly. Nothing much happened, but it was pleasant to read. I like Camus' style. "
— Puriso, 11/14/2013" I did not particularly like the book. I actually read this for my school summer assignment and really had to force myself through it. However, the writing is good for people who enjoy having a slow read. "
— Akiryuu, 11/8/2013" Muito bem escrito e um excelente relato do comportamento humano perante um evento catastrofico como uma peste. Mas entediente e enfadonho sinceramente. "
— David, 10/29/2013" Camus para los desayunos solitarios. "
— Aleyda, 10/23/2013" A great book, but I read it too slowly--the long sections of exposition took me out of the story when read this way, in small chunks. But the text is full of wonderful, quotable passages on love and loss and finding what is underneath the habits of the everyday. "
— Dayna, 12/31/2012" Ya lo lei y no lo vuelvo a hacer. Interesante pero deprimente. Prefiero leer por escapismo y no para sufrir "
— Vero, 12/9/2012" I didn't like this book because it moved very slow. There wasn't a strong climax so I became uninterested. "
— Aaron, 9/7/2012" absolutely adored "
— Matthew, 9/1/2012" Almost certainly the best book I've ever read. Just...there are no more words. Camus gives us all a masterpiece of human experience, dread, joy, injustice, and love. "
— Scott, 1/18/2012" this is easily one of the best books I've ever read. I've gone back to it so many times that it is literally falling apart but I refuse to replace. "
— Ronn, 7/25/2011" Classic tale of life under an oppression and how lives continue nevertheless - parallel with the Nazi invasion of France. Classic writing and love it every time I read it. "
— Rob, 7/21/2011" i think i like camus very much. "
— Stephanie, 6/12/2011" Really. Dull. I couldn't finish it. "
— Kate, 6/8/2011" Another intense book, Camus is able to craft a wonderfully depressing setting and situation for a society living in an isolated town. The plague gives examples of the possible actions carried out if such an epidemic were to hit, and the reactions individuals would have. "
— Gabriel, 6/4/2011" I loved this book. I read it while abroad and it made me very contemplative. I'd recommend it, most definitely. "
— Treesh, 6/3/2011" this book was really sad i hat6ed when the book take you on place and then demolish you this book did that i surprised that thay didnt live even though they made it so close to the home town "
— Rondell, 6/1/2011Albert Camus (1913–1960) was a French philosopher, author, and journalist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957. His 1942 book The Stranger is one of the most widely read novels of the twentieth century. His views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as absurdism. He wrote in his essay The Rebel that his whole life was devoted to opposing the philosophy of nihilism while still delving deeply into individual freedom.
James Jenner is an actor known for Very Good Girls, Enemy Territory, and Third Watch.