Four essential books from the work of Albert Camus, one of the most important authors of the 20th century, for the first time in a deluxe collection.
This edition includes a booklet written by journalist and literary critic Manuel da Costa Pinto, presenting the previously unpublished text A novel is always a philosophy put into images and photos by Albert Camus.
The importance of Albert Camus in 20th-century Western literature is undeniable; he dedicated his life to exploring the absurdity of the human condition. This combined edition is a celebration of his work, bringing together his first philosophical essay— The Myth of Sisyphus —and the three novels Camus published during his lifetime— The Stranger , The Plague , and The Fall . According to Manuel da Costa Pinto, "Camus always insisted that, despite the formal and stylistic heterogeneity of his works, they all revolved around a few themes that he obsessively revisited at each creative moment." It is with these Camusian themes in mind that Editora Record publishes this box set with a new graphic design that celebrates these four essential books on any bookshelf.
In addition to the books, this collection also includes a booklet containing the previously unpublished text "A Novel Is Always a Philosophy Put in Images ," by Manuel da Costa Pinto, and photographs by Albert Camus. It ties together the four works, drawing a line connecting each book to the reflections of Camusian philosophy and the author's own history, further enriching the repertoire of existing Camus readers and serving as a fine introduction for those wishing to explore the treatises of one of the world's most important authors.
The Stranger (176 pages)
Written in 1942, The Stranger , Albert Camus's most famous and important work of fiction, tells the story of an ordinary man who confronts the absurdity of the human condition after almost unconsciously committing a crime. Meursault, who lived his freedom of movement without realizing it, suddenly loses it, caught up in circumstances, and discovers a greater and more frightening freedom in self-determination. A reflection on freedom and the human condition that left profound marks on Western thought. One of the most beautiful narratives of the 20th century.
The Plague (424 pages)
Oran, Algeria, is struck by a terrible plague transmitted by rats, decimating its population. The political dimension of this book is undeniable; it is one of the most widely read of the post-war period, as the city ravaged by the epidemic recalls the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. It has returned to the bestseller list during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Plague is a work of resistance in every sense of the word. Told from the perspective of a doctor involved in the efforts to contain the disease, Albert Camus's text, published in 1947, highlights solidarity, loneliness, death, and other themes fundamental to understanding the dilemmas of modern man.
The Myth of Sisyphus (224 pages)
The Myth of Sisyphus , published in 1942, is an essay on the absurd and became an important philosophical-existential contribution, profoundly influencing an entire generation. Camus highlights a world immersed in irrationalities and recalls Sisyphus, condemned by the gods to endlessly push a stone up the mountain, only to have it fall back down, characterizing his work as futile and hopeless. The author paints a portrait of the world we live in and the dilemma faced by contemporary humanity: "Either we are not free and the one responsible for evil is God Almighty, or we are free and responsible, but God is not all-powerful."
The Fall (152 pages)
In The Fall , a French lawyer examines his conscience in a sailor's bar in Amsterdam. The narrator, a self-proclaimed "penitent judge," denounces his own human nature, entwined with a painful process of self-criticism. The man who speaks in The Fall surrenders to a calculated confession. But where does confession begin and where does accusation begin? He isolated himself from the world after witnessing a woman commit suicide in the murky waters of the Seine, lacking the courage to try to save her. Camus reveals the modern man who abandons his values and plunges into an existential void. Published in 1956, this book is essential for all generations.
