Writer Biographies

Princeton Press

Albert Camus was born on November 7, 1913 in Mondovi, Algeria. His father was killed in the Battle of the Marne less than a year later. While he grew up in poverty, Camus eventually made it to the University of Algiers. His studies were interrupted by a bout of tuberculosis which made him attend school on a part-time basis. Nevertheless, he graduated with his BA in 1935 and received the equivalent of his MA the next year. In 1934, he married Simone Hie, but the marriage was very short-lived. In 1940, he married Francine Faure; the couple had twins, Catherine and Jean. Camus did not believe in the concept of marriage and had many affairs.

Throughout his life, Camus was always deeply interested in politics. This led him to join the French Communist Party in 1935; he was eventually ousted in 1937 when he joined the Algerian People’s Party. He also began writing for many anarchist publications. During World War II, Camus joined the French Resistance. He had tried to join the army but was refused because of his tuberculosis. He wrote for the underground newspaper, Combat under the pen-name of Beauchard.

In 1947, Camus met and became friends with philosopher Jean Paul Sartre. The two had a falling out after Camus began criticizing Communism. Camus’ writing and philosophy have often been described as Existentialist but he did not accept such a label. However, his novel L’Etranger is often cited as an example of existentialist belief.

Albert Camus’ first novel, The Stranger (L’Etranger,) was published in 1942. That same year he also published a book of essays entitled The Myth of Sisyphus. His next two novels were The Plague (1947) and The Fall (1956). In addition to novels and essays, Camus also wrote plays and short stories.

Lourimarin Cemetery

In 1957, Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature “”for his important literary production, which with clear-sighted earnestness illuminates the problems of the human conscience in our times.” His acceptance speech gives a good background into his beliefs about literature and society.

Albert Camus died on January 4th, 1960 in an automobile accident.