From beginner-friendly introductions to classic works by Camus, this page features books to suit any learning style. It’s important to note that there is no single best book on Camus. The best book for you will depend heavily on your preferred learning style and the amount of time/energy you’re willing to spend reading. For example, if you tend to find classic works of philosophy difficult to understand, you might want to start with a short, beginner-friendly introduction. If you prefer more depth, you can choose a more comprehensive introduction or read Camus for yourself.
It’s also worth noting that it is not a list of personal recommendations. Personal book recommendations tend to be highly subjective, idiosyncratic, and unreliable. This list is part of a collection of over 100 philosophy reading lists which aim to provide a central resource for philosophy book recommendations. These lists were created by searching through hundreds of university course syllabi, internet encyclopedia bibliographies, and community recommendations. Links to the syllabi and other sources used to create this list are at the end of the post. Following these links will help you quickly find a broader range of options if the listed books do not fit what you are looking for.
Here are the best books on or by Albert Camus in no particular order.
The Stranger – Albert Camus
Category: Classic | Length: 123 pages | Published: 1942
Publishers description:
Through the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach, Camus explored what he termed “the nakedness of man faced with the absurd.” First published in 1946; now in a new translation by Matthew Ward.
The Plague – Albert Camus
Category: Classic | Length: 320 pages | Published: 1947
Publishers description:
A haunting tale of human resilience in the face of unrelieved horror, Camus’ novel about a bubonic plague ravaging the people of a North African coastal town is a classic of twentieth-century literature.
The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt – Albert Camus
Category: Classic | Length: 320 pages | Published: 1951
Publishers description: By one of the most profoundly influential thinkers of our century, The Rebel is a classic essay on revolution. For Albert Camus, the urge to revolt is one of the “essential dimensions” of human nature, manifested in man’s timeless Promethean struggle against the conditions of his existence, as well as the popular uprisings against established orders throughout history. And yet, with an eye toward the French Revolution and its regicides and deicides, he shows how inevitably the course of revolution leads to tyranny. As old regimes throughout the world collapse, The Rebel resonates as an ardent, eloquent, and supremely rational voice of conscience for our tumultuous times.
The Fall – Albert Camus
Category: Classic | Length: 147 pages | Published: 1956
Publishers description:
Elegantly styled, Camus’ profoundly disturbing novel of a Parisian lawyer’s confessions is a searing study of modern amorality.
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays – Albert Camus
Category: Classic | Length: 212 pages | Published: 1942
Publishers description: One of the most influential works of this century, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays is a crucial exposition of existentialist thought. Influenced by works such as Don Juan and the novels of Kafka, these essays begin with a meditation on suicide; the question of living or not living in a universe devoid of order or meaning. With lyric eloquence, Albert Camus brilliantly posits a way out of despair, reaffirming the value of personal existence, and the possibility of life lived with dignity and authenticity.
The Cambridge Companion to Camus – Edward J. Hughes
Category: Comprehensive Textbook | Length: 252 pages | Published: 2007
Publishers description: Albert Camus is one of the iconic figures of twentieth-century French literature, one of France’s most widely read modern literary authors and one of the youngest winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature. As the author of L’Etranger and the architect of the notion of ‘the Absurd’ in the 1940s, he shot to prominence in France and beyond. His work nevertheless attracted hostility as well as acclaim and he was increasingly drawn into bitter political controversies, especially the issue of France’s place and role in the country of his birth, Algeria. Most recently, postcolonial studies have identified in his writings a set of preoccupations ripe for revisitation. Situating Camus in his cultural and historical context, this 2007 Companion explores his best-selling novels, his ambiguous engagement with philosophy, his theatre, his increasingly high-profile work as a journalist and his reflection on ethical and political questions that continue to concern readers today.
Albert Camus: A Life – Oliver Todd
Category: Biography | Length: 434 pages | Published: 1997
Publishers description: In this enormously engaging, vibrant, and richly researched biography of Albert Camus, the French writer and journalist Olivier Todd has drawn on personal correspondence, notebooks, and public records never before tapped, as well as interviews with Camus’s family, friends, fellow workers, writers, mentors, and lovers.
Todd shows us a Camus who struggled all his life with irreconcilable conflicts–between his loyalty to family and his passionate nature, between the call to political action and the integrity to his art, between his support of the native Algerians and his identification with the forgotten people, the poor whites. A very private man, Camus could be charming and prickly, sincere and theatrical, genuinely humble, yet full of great ambition. …
Albert Camus: From the Absurd to Revolt – John Foley
Category: Textbook | Length: 288 pages | Published: 2008
Publishers description: Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that encompasses philosophy, literature, politics, and history, John Foley examines the full breadth of Camus’ ideas to provide a rigorous guide to his political and philosophical thought, making a significant contribution to current debates in Camus research. Foley argues that Camus’ thought can best be understood through analysis of the concepts of “the absurd” and “revolt” and the relationship between them. The book includes a detailed discussion of Camus’ writings for the newspaper Combat, a systematic analysis of the discussion of the moral legitimacy of political violence and terrorism, a reassessment of the prevailing postcolonial critique of Camus’ humanism, and a sustained analysis of Camus’ most commonly neglected work, L’Homme révolté (The Rebel). Written with sufficient detail and clarity to satisfy both academic and student audiences, Albert Camus: From the Absurd to Revolt is an important discussion and defence of Camus’ philosophical thought.
The following sources were used to build this list:
Bibliographies:
- Bibliography for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Albert Camus
- Bibliography for the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Albert Camus
Other Recommendations:
- Favorite Albert Camus books/essays besides sisyphus/stranger?
- Should i start reading philosophy books with albert camus ?
- Where should I start with Camus?
- Book recommendations about absurdism
- What’s the best Albert Camus Biography?
Additional Resources
You might also be interested in the following reading lists:
- The Best Introductory Philosophy Books
- The Best Books on the History of Philosophy
- The Best Books on Existentialism
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A History of Western Philosophy in 500 Essential Quotations – Lennox Johnson
Category: Reference | Length: 145 pages | Published: 2019
Publisher’s Description: A History of Western Philosophy in 500 Essential Quotations is a collection of the greatest thoughts from history’s greatest thinkers. Featuring classic quotations by Aristotle, Epicurus, David Hume, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell, Michel Foucault, and many more, A History of Western Philosophy in 500 Essential Quotations is ideal for anyone looking to quickly understand the fundamental ideas that have shaped the modern world.