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A Happy Death (Penguin Modern Classics)
 
 
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A Happy Death (Penguin Modern Classics) [Paperback]

Albert Camus , Richard Howard
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (Penguin English Library)
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The Penguin English Library features the best novels in the English language. Get lost in the amazing stories, browse the Penguin English Library.

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A Happy Death (Penguin Modern Classics) + The First Man (Penguin Modern Classics) + The Fall (Penguin Modern Classics)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (28 Feb 2002)
  • Language Unknown
  • ISBN-10: 0141186585
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141186580
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.2 x 1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 182,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description

Is it possible to die a happy death?This is the central question of Camus's astonishing early novel, published posthumously and greeted as a major literary event. It tells the story of a young Algerian, Mersault, who defies society's rules by committing a murder and escaping punishment, then experimenting with different ways of life and finally dying a happy man. In many ways A Happy Death is a fascinating first sketch for The Outsider, but it can also be seen as a candid self-portrait, drawing on Camus's memories of his youth, travels and early relationships. It is infused with lyrical descriptions of the sun-drenched Algiers of his childhood - the place where, eventually, Mersault is able to find peace and die 'without anger, without hatred, without regret'.

About the Author

Albert Camus was born in Algeria in 1913. His childhood was poor, although not unhappy. He studied philosophy at the University of Algiers, and became a journalist as well as organizing the Théâtre de l'équipe, a young avant-garde dramatic group.

His early essays were collected in L'Envers et l'endroit (The Wrong Side and the Right Side) and Noces (Nuptials). He went to Paris, where he worked on the newspaper Paris Soir before returning to Algeria. His play, Caligula, appeared in 1939. His first two important books, L'Etranger (The Outsider) and the long essay Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus), were published when he returned to Paris.

After the occupation of France by the Germans in 1941, Camus became one of the intellectual leaders of the Resistance movement. He edited and contributed to the underground newspaper Combat, which he had helped to found. After the war he devoted himself to writing and established an international reputation with such books as La Peste (The Plague 1947), Les Justes (The Just 1949) and La Chute (The Fall; 1956). During the late 1950s Camus renewed his active interest in the theatre, writing and directing stage adaptations of William Faulkner's Requiem for a Nun and Dostoyevsky's The Possessed. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. He was killed in a road accident in 1960.


Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
It was ten in the morning, and Patrice Mersault was walking steadily towards Zagreus' villa. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Camus: A Happy Death 21 Feb 2003
Format:Paperback
A work of wonderful existentialist beauty, can one die a happy death its central theme. This early work embodying an early draft of the 'Outsider' follows Mersault in the exploration of this dark theme through crafted narrative that the reader can treasure in solace. We are all going to die, so is worry a futile sentiment that burdens us all?
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Something and Nothing 10 Oct 2002
By Jet
Format:Paperback
Although this is one of Camus' less accessible books, the simplicity of style and striking ideas make it a good read and worthwhile trying. His depiction of the women with whom he spent his ideal existence is lively. Likewise the sense of creeping despair that plays on the main character. Unfortunately, the plot itself does not hold many surprises and in truth the early chapters are the highlights of this book, especially the opening of the book with its thematic similarity to "The Outsider." Worth reading for its highlights - especially for fans of Camus - but less memorable than other stunning books of his.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A beautiful book. 28 July 1999
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a beautifully written book. It is my all time favourite. Mersault the hero/antihero is the very embodiment of the classic existentialist. The "house above the worlds" image is the one that I treasure most. I have read this book about five times. Far from being a dark book I find it cheers me up.
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