Customer Reviews

L' Etranger

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Camus' classic of French literature, about Muersault, an Algerian man in the south of France, who inexplicably kills a man and is tried for murder, is one of those love it or hate it books. I won't review the plot here or get into its themes of detachment and human nature too much since you can find those on the sites reviewing the book. I want to focus on this particular audio recording made by Camus himself in 1954.

Camus races through the book in a deadpan voice, seemingly ignoring line, paragraph and other breaks. It's not the most enjoyable experience but it is a compellingly interesting one as Camus' reading of the material seems to echo perfectly the protagonist's detachment from the world. Whether Muersault is talking about his girlfriend, his mother's death, his neighbor's abuse of his elderly dog, or the murder of a young man a hot summer day, the voice is still one of bored detachment. Camus' rapidfire, monotone recitation takes on a compelling fascination as Merseult observes his own life and then impending death.

This probably won't be the most enjoyable audio book you've ever heard, but it's still worth getting for the historical experience of hearing Camus' words in his own voice.

The product is excellent. But I found a free resource of the same narration and was shocked later.