Albert Camus was a French philosopher, author, and journalist, who was born on November 7, 1913, in Mondovi, French Algeria, and died on January 4, 1960, in Villeblevin, France. He is often associated with the philosophy of existentialism and absurdism, although he rejected the label of existentialist.
Camus was born into a poor family, his father, Lucien Camus, died in combat during World War I when Albert was just a year old. His mother, Catherine Hélène Sintès, was of Spanish descent, and the family struggled financially. Despite these hardships, Camus excelled in school, which led to a scholarship to study at the University of Algeria, where he studied philosophy and became involved in theater and journalism.
Camus's philosophical thought was heavily influenced by his experiences with poverty, illness (he suffered from tuberculosis), and the absurdity of life. His philosophy revolves around the concept of the absurd, which he describes as the conflict between humans' natural desire for meaning and the silent, indifferent universe:
Camus's literary career included novels, essays, and plays:
In 1957, Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his important literary production, which with clear-sighted earnestness illuminates the problems of the human conscience in our times."
Camus was also known for his political activism:
Albert Camus died tragically young at the age of 46 in a car accident. He was traveling with his publisher, Michel Gallimard, when their car crashed into a tree. It was later revealed that a train ticket was found in Camus's coat, suggesting he might have originally intended to travel by train but changed his plans at the last moment.
Camus's work continues to influence philosophy, literature, and politics. His ideas on the absurd, the importance of living in the present, and the need for human solidarity remain relevant: