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Albert Camus

philosophy religion Maturity 13-18 death dying Next article →

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Albert Camus was a famous thinker and writer.

20041113-002 Lourmarin Tombstone Albert Camus
20041113-002 Lourmarin Tombstone Albert Camus

He was born on November 7, 1913, in French Algeria. His early life was quite difficult and poor. He lived in a working-class neighborhood in Mondovi. His mother could not read or write. She was also deaf. Camus never knew his father, who died in World War I. These early years shaped how he saw the world.

Départements français d'Algérie 1934-1955 map-fr
Départements français d'Algérie 1934-1955 map-fr

Camus loved being active as a young boy. He enjoyed swimming and playing football. He even played as a goalkeeper for a junior team.

Algiers The University (GRI)
Algiers The University (GRI)

A teacher named Louis Germain helped him very much. Germain gave him free lessons for a scholarship. This allowed Camus to study at a prestigious school. Later, he studied philosophy at the University of Algiers. He even worked odd jobs to earn money. He worked as a tutor and a clerk.

His ideas became very important to many people. He is often linked to a way of thinking called absurdism. This idea looks at how life can feel without meaning. He also wrote about the idea of revolt. Some people called him an existentialist. However, Camus himself rejected that name his whole life. He wrote many famous books. These include The Stranger, The Plague, and The Myth of Sisyphus. He also wrote plays like Caligula.

Lucia 1957
Lucia 1957

During World War II, Camus was very brave. He lived in Paris when the Germans invaded France. He could not join the army because of tuberculosis. Instead, he joined the French Resistance. He worked as an editor for a banned newspaper called Combat. He used a fake name to stay safe.

Ecrits historiques et politiques, Simone Weil
Ecrits historiques et politiques, Simone Weil

He also wrote letters to explain why resistance was necessary. After the war, he became a celebrity. He gave many lectures around the world.

Camus also cared deeply about how people lived together. He was part of groups that wanted European countries to work together. He wanted peace and democracy. During the Algerian War, he tried to stay neutral. He wanted a country where many different cultures could live together. In 1957, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was only 44 years old. He was the first person from Africa to win this prize. He died in a car crash in 1960.

Camus Monument in Villeblevin France 17-august-2003.1
Camus Monument in Villeblevin France 17-august-2003.1
370 words

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🖼️ Images & Media (9)
File:Algiers The University (GRI).jpg
Algiers The University (GRI).jpg
File:Ecrits historiques et politiques, Simone Weil.jpg
Ecrits historiques et politiques, Simone Weil.jpg
File:20041113-002 Lourmarin Tombstone Albert Camus.jpg
20041113-002 Lourmarin Tombstone Albert Camus.jpg
File:Camus Monument in Villeblevin France 17-august-2003.4.JPG
Camus Monument in Villeblevin France...
File:Camus Monument in Villeblevin France 17-august-2003.1.JPG
Camus Monument in Villeblevin France...
File:Lucia 1957.jpg
Lucia 1957.jpg
File:Départements français d'Algérie 1934-1955 map-fr.svg
Départements français d'Algérie 1934-1955...
File:Tipaza stèle Albert Camus.jpg
Tipaza stèle Albert Camus.jpg
File:Rúa_Albert_Camus.001_-_La_Coruña.jpg
Rúa_Albert_Camus.001_-_La_Coruña.jpg
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