- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Vintage Books; 1st Vintage International Ed edition (1 Sep 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679764003
- ISBN-13: 978-0679764007
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 1.3 x 20.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,377,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
In his first novel, A Happy Death, written when he was in his early twenties and retrieved from his private papers following his death in I960, Albert Camus laid the foundation for The Stranger, focusing in both works on an Algerian clerk who kills a man in cold blood. But he also revealed himself to an extent that he never would in his later fiction. For if A Happy Death is the study of a rule-bound being shattering the fetters of his existence, it is also a remarkably candid portrait of its author as a young man.
As the novel follows the protagonist, Patrice Mersault, to his victim's house -- and then, fleeing, in a journey that takes him through stages of exile, hedonism, privation, and death -it gives us a glimpse into the imagination of one of the great writers of the twentieth century. For here is the young Camus himself, in love with the sea and sun, enraptured by women yet disdainful of romantic love, and already formulating the philosophy of action and moral responsibility that would make him central to the thought of our time.
Translated from the French by Richard Howard
As the novel follows the protagonist, Patrice Mersault, to his victim's house -- and then, fleeing, in a journey that takes him through stages of exile, hedonism, privation, and death -it gives us a glimpse into the imagination of one of the great writers of the twentieth century. For here is the young Camus himself, in love with the sea and sun, enraptured by women yet disdainful of romantic love, and already formulating the philosophy of action and moral responsibility that would make him central to the thought of our time.
Translated from the French by Richard Howard
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First Sentence
It was ten in the morning, and Patrice Mersault was walking steadily towards Zagreus' villa. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
It was ten in the morning, and Patrice Mersault was walking steadily towards Zagreus' villa. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
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?
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
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.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
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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