Portland Public Library

Algerian chronicles, Albert Camus ; translated by Arthur Goldhammer ; with an introduction by Alice Kaplan

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

index present

non fiction

Algerian chronicles

bibliography

811337435

Albert Camus ; translated by Arthur Goldhammer ; with an introduction by Alice Kaplan

"More than fifty years after Algerian independence, Albert Camus's Algerian Chronicles appears here in English for the first time. Published in France in 1958, the same year the Algerian War brought about the collapse of the Fourth French Republic, it is one of Camus's most political works - an exploration of his commitments to Algeria. Dismissed or disdained at publication, today Algerian Chronicles, with its prescient analysis of the dead end of terrorism, enjoys a new life in Arthur Goldhammer's elegant translation. "Believe me when I tell you that Algeria is where I hurt at this moment, as others feel pain in their lungs." writes Camus, who was the most visible symbol of France's troubled relationship with Algeria. Gathered here are Camus's strongest statements on Algeria from the 1930s through the 1950s, revised and supplemented by the author for publication in book form. In her introduction, Alice Kaplan illuminates the dilemma faced by Camus: he was committed to the defense of those who suffered colonial injustices, yet was unable to support Algerian national sovereignty apart from France. An appendix of lesser-known texts that did not appear in the French edition complements the picture of a moralist who posed questions about violence and counter-violence, national identity, terrorism, and justice that continue to illuminate our contemporary world."--Jacket

Preface. The misery of Kabylia. Destitution -- Destitution (continued) -- Wages -- Education -- The political future -- The economic and social future -- Conclusion. Crisis in Algeria. Crisis in Algeria -- Famine in Algeria -- Ships and justice -- The political malaise -- The party of the manifesto -- Conclusion -- Letter to an Algerian militant. Algeria torn. The missing -- The round table -- A clear conscience -- The true surrender -- The adversary's reasons -- November 1 -- A truce for civilians -- The party of truce -- Call for a civilian truce in Algeria. The Maisonseul affair. Letter to Le Monde -- Govern! Algeria 1958. Algeria 1958 -- The new Algeria. Appendix. Indigenous culture : the new Mediterranean culture -- Men stricken from the rolls of humanity -- Letter from Camus to Le Monde -- Draft of a letter to Encounter -- Two letters to Rene Coty -- The Nobel Prize press conference incident