Gr 9 Up--A clear, yet complex examination of the writer's life and work. Born to poverty in Algeria, Camus, through the strong influence of a concerned teacher, became an intellectual who defied the odds of this upbringing and dramatically swayed the thought of his time. Readers are given insight into Camus's personal life (a wife in Algeria, a live-in lover in France) and his involvement with the political movements of his day. During World War II and the postwar period, his friendship and then clashes with Jean Paul Sartre are presented in relation to the divergent paths of their writings. Camus emerges as the extoller of compassionate self-interest and personal responsibility. Bronner provides an incisive and concise overview of an influential and brilliant thinker, whose winning of the Nobel Prize officially verified the greatness apparent in his major works. The well-chosen, black-and-white photographs add faces to the names discussed in the text and lend an authentic atmosphere to this literary biography. Sources and index are necessary and helpful additions.
Steve Matthews, Foxcroft School, Middleburg, VA
Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Card catalog description
A biography of the Algerian-born, French existential novelist, dramatist, and essayist.
