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The Stranger Paperback - 1989
by Albert Camus; Matthew Ward (Translator)
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In the story of an ordinary man who unwittingly gets drawn into a senseless murder on a sun-drenched Algerian beach, Camus was exploring what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd". Now in a new American translation, the classic has been given new life for generations to come.
Summary
Since it was first published in English, in 1946, Albert Camus’s extraordinary first novel, The Stranger (L‘Etranger), has had a profound impact on millions of American readers. Through this story of an ordinary man who unwittingly gets drawn into a senseless murder on a sun-drenched Algerian beach, Camus was exploring what he termed “the nakedness of man faced with the absurd.”
Now, in an illuminating new American translation (the only English version available for more than forty years was done by a British translator), the original intent of The Stranger is made more immediate, as Matthew Ward captures in exact and lucid language precisely what Camus said and how he said it, thus giving this haunting novel a new life for generations to come (from publisher).
Reader reviews for The Stranger
Review summary
Readers widely regard Albert Camus’s The Stranger as a modern classic: a spare, short novel whose cool, minimalist prose frames a searing inquiry into absurdity, alienation, social convention, justice, and death. Many praised its ability to provoke deep reflection—especially the courtroom and chaplain confrontations—and noted how Meursault’s emotional detachment exposes how society polices “appropriate” feeling. The book’s brevity and clarity were seen as deceptive, carrying heavy philosophical weight that often rewards rereading, with several reporting greater resonance in adulthood. Others pushed back, finding the narrative cold, monotonous, or nihilistic, and objecting to its perceived moral emptiness. Debates surfaced over translation choices, responsibility, atheism, and the role of the sun/heat in the killing. Overall, reactions ranged from awe at its insight to frustration at its bleak indifference—making it both influential and sharply divisive.
Readers say this book is:
thought-provokingpolarizingquick readspare prosebleakhauntingphilosophicaldarkly funnyunsettlinginsightfulWrite a review for this book
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From the publisher
From the jacket flap
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.
Details
- Title The Stranger
- Author Albert Camus; Matthew Ward (Translator)
- Binding Paperback
- Edition [ Edition: Repri
- Pages 144
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Vintage, New York, New York, U.s.a.
- Publication date 1989-03-13
- ISBN 9780679720201 / 0679720200
- Weight 0.3 lbs (0.14 kg)
- Dimensions 8 x 5.2 x 0.45 in (20.32 x 13.21 x 1.14 cm)
- Reading level 880
-
Themes
- Catalog Heading: Classics
- Cultural Region: North Africa
- Curriculum Strand: Language Arts/Literature
- Category Literature - Classics / Criticism
- Library of Congress subjects Psychological fiction, Murder
- Library of Congress Catalogue Number 88040378
- Dewey Decimal Code FIC
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The Stranger (Vintage International)
Camus, Albert
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The Stranger
Albert Camus
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The Stranger
by Albert Camus
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The Stranger
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