Camus: Portrait of a Moralist

No writer has influenced me more than Albert Camus. After I first read The Plague in 1971 the world would never look the same. I was greatly moved by the way various citizens of Oran struggled against the plague which had brought sickness, death and sadness to their city. Similarly, I found that in a profoundly humanist way, Camus spoke to the great moral and political issues of our time: injustice, violence, revolution and revolt. As a student of political thought I was familiar with Stephen Eric Bronner through his excellent book, "Ideas in Action: Political Tradition in the Twentieth Century". I was expecting "Portrait of Moralist" to be an insightful book and I was not disappointed. Bronner provides us with a brief biography of Camus and some interesting analysis of all his major writing, both fiction and non fiction. Not surprisingly the emphasis is on the contribution that Camus makes to political thought. Bronner does a fine job of situating Camus's thought in the context of the major political events of his time: World II and the Resistance, the Cold War, the Algerian Civil War and the emerging struggles for equal rights. The book covers such topics as the Camus Sartre debate, the efforts of Camus to distinguish between revolution and rebellion. Bronner is correct in his portrayal of Camus as a committed moralist trying and sometimes failing to find human solutions to the dilemmas of his time. The book is well written and well researched. If you are interested specifically in Camus or more generally with political thought and literature, this brief book has much to offer.

This is a well-balanced intellectual biography of a courageous but obviously fallible man. Key elements of Camus' thought are linked to the stages of his life and the works produced during each of those stages.

Very much so. Anyone who DOESN'T read Camus or about Camus and get something out of it is lacking. My favorite part (since it is my favorite of his works) is the part about The Plague. As well as his works, I recommend this book.

"Camus" Portrait of a Moralist" is a splendid book. I came across it after just finishing a 400+ biography of the subject that bulged with facts and quotes but lacked insight and analysis. These later two virtues Stephen Bronner provides in abundance. His remarkable achievement is to offer in 150 pages a persuasive interpretation of Camus that brings together his life events, artistic achievements and activities, and his philosophical and political thinking.Bronner argues that Camus' career evolved in three stages. During his early period he developed his concept of the absurd. The Second World War and Camus' involvement in the resistance heralded a focus on rebellion and the human solidarity that grows out of a shared struggle against a powerful and demonic foe. In the post-war era, however, this solidarity splintered over issues such as communism and the French-Algerian War. During the last 10 years of his life Camus was distinguished by his refusal to embrace ideologies and fanatical devotion to causes regardless the cost in human life and dignity.Bronner discusses Camus' artistic, philosophical and journalistic works to both demonstrate and illustrate Camus' development until his death at age 47. Within this framework, Bronner draws welcome attention to neglected aspects of Camus' outlook such as his almost contemplative atheism.In sum, Bronner's stellar accomplishment if to write an interpretation of Camus that is both clear and concise for the uninitiated, and subtle and nuanced for those already acquainted with his subject.Galen Tinder galen@blast.net