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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 843.914
EAN num: 9780679720218
ISBN number: 0679720219
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: May 07, 1991
Publishing house: Vintage
Release Date: May 07, 1991
Sale Popularity Level: 2205
Studio: Vintage
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The Nobel prize-winning Albert Camus, who died in 1960, could not have known how grimly current his existentialist novel of epidemic and death would remain. Set in Algeria, in northern Africa, The Plague is a powerful study of human life and its meaning in the face of a deadly virus that sweeps dispassionately through the city, taking a vast percentage of the population with it.
Product 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.
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Rated by buyers 
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In light of the constant scare of chemical warfare we are faced with in this age where even the barbarians in the middle east have acess to technology, this book still has much to offer.
There is one major theme in this novel and that is stay maintain a level head. Many of the casualties in the story are victimized by their own fear and irrational actions. From the rushed and fatal antidote to the brutallity inside the quarantined city.
This book also holds relevence to the fear that had gripped society in the 80's with the AIDS scare.
Rated by buyers -
The Plague is another of Camus's magnificently constructed plots, a story created as a way to present his philosophy of life and existence.
The novel is about a plague that sweeps the Algerian city of Oran. Characters deal with the plague and the imprisonment they face because of the disease in different ways, but all characters mature greatly along the way. Interestingly, the ethical, noble, and charismatic characters like Dr. Rieux and Tarrou-just like Camus-are atheist. Both characters think all humans are bound up with a destiny of death, and that their existence has no higher spiritual dimension.
Another interesting transformation that Camus portrays is the religious point of view presented through Father Paneloux, who's explanation of the plague at the beginning was a punishment sent from God to the people of Oran for their sins, but when Father Paneloux sees innocent children are suffering, Paneloux's explanation of the plague changes to say it is a possible divine test from god of people's faith. Paneloux reaction when he got the disease was very predictable as a religious man. Even though, Camus always rejected religion, the way he dealt with Paneloux ending shows a tremendous respect to what humans choose to believe.
The process of maturity transforms each character based on their ethics and morals. Again, Camus has an outstanding way of analyzing humans and existence.
Not to ruin the pleasure of finding out; but the reader might enjoy the special reflections of Camus's own understanding of people on the development of Raymond Rambert, Joseph Grand, and Jean Tarrou. At the end of the novel Dr. Rieux, the narrator, presents a brilliant summary about human suffering and their ability to forget or ignore life's absurdity.
Rated by buyers -
First, this text is not for anyone looking for fast-moving action. It can move very slowly at times as Camus often takes several pages to describe the mundane scenery. There's no real plot as one would expect in a novel; but rather, the story moves slowly from the onset of the plague to its end, with detailed descriptions of a few of the characters and (less-than-shocking) descriptions of people's suffering.
But the reason I give this text five stars is for its beautiful language. It's not meant to be a fast-paced action-packed novel, but rather an ethnographic looks at humanity. I can only imagine what the original French might sound like, since the translation itself is already absolutely chilling. Take, for example, "...they drifted through life rather than lived, the prey of aimless days and sterile memories, like wandering shadows that could have acquired substance only by consenting to root themselves in the solid earth of their distress" (73). Camus is a genius for metaphors, and brilliantly employs in this text to illustrate some of his most prominent existential and absurdist thoughts.
An excellent read.
Rated by buyers 
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A sensitively written piece of literature examining the strength and weaknesses of the human spirit and ultimately a study in humanity. Bound together by a common tragedy (the plague itself), the reader sees through the eyes of an array of characters, each with their own philosophies and convictions and ways of handling the stress that the plague brings upon the town. This is a philosophical tale sure to leave the reader with much to think on upon its conclusion.
I enjoyed this book, found the language very colorful and vivid, and paused a few times to jot down quotes. I believe this to be a book that anyone interested in sociological studies, psychology, ethics, and humanities would be interested in. Not to mention that this is a must-read for lovers of the existential Camus.
Rated by buyers 
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Add to that the author's early death, still fashionable and cool Existentialist connections, and well, Frenchness, and it is hard for anyone to consider his work objectively. The only true test would be to imagine the response of a modern day critic who had no idea who the author was. If I were to put this book to that test, I'm afraid many would say that although competently written, to place this in the top ten books ever written would be a gross overrating of its qualities. A different reaction would result from The Stranger/Outsider, a strikingly original work that few who've read it will forget. I would have given the book 3 and a half stars if that was an option, but 4 just seems too many.
Why Camus only reveals who the narrator is till very late in the book, forcing some to re-read it, is revealed in the Appendix of The Myth of Sisyphus, in his analysis of Kafka's writings in the light of his concept of 'the absurd'. He points out here that part of the magic of Kafka is that very often the unexpected or open endings of his stories force a re-read on the reader. However, a re-read of this book in the light of the information of who the narrator is only brings to light several flaws in the story, situations where the narrator was not present, and could not possibly have had any idea of what had happened. It is hard to believe that the author overlooked this, but equally hard to believe that the oversight was intended for some effect it would have on the reader. Thus, when it is ultimately revealed that the whole time it has been Dr Rieux narrating, it's rather hard to believe.
Finally, the book has some moral ambiguities, such as a doctor fighting to control an epidemic, who out of 'humanitarian' grounds allows an individual to break the quarantine and possibly cause it to spread to other cities or countries. It is truly immoral behaviour for any doctor not to prevent such a breaking of the quarantine, as hard as it must be on the individual, and it is the height of selfishness for anyone to think that they should be the exception to the rule, when all others remain separated from their loved ones, or have lost them. All in all, I'd find out some more about this book before buying it, and don't assume that because you like the genius of The Stranger/Outsider, that this is anything like that. Like I said, a large part of Camus' fashionability in the English world is due to his Frenchness (many English speakers have a snobbish passion for French literature that throws a golden light on anything of French origin), his Existentialist connections, Nobel Prize and early death. Keep that in mind when trying to judge this book's qualities by the rave reviews you'll read here. Interesting, but not essential reading.
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