Albert Camus - The Outsider

Albert Camus’ The Outsider (1942), also known as The Stranger, is a landmark existential novel that explores themes of absurdity, alienation, and the search for meaning. The story follows Meursault, a detached and emotionally indifferent man living in French Algeria, who becomes involved in a series of events culminating in his killing of an Arab man. The novel’s focus, however, is less on the crime itself and more on Meursault’s indifferent attitude toward societal norms, morality, and even his own fate.

Meursault’s existential outlook is most evident during his trial, where his lack of conventional emotions, especially his failure to grieve for his mother’s recent death, becomes the focal point for the prosecution. The novel’s climax reveals Camus’ philosophy of the “absurd”—the idea that life is inherently meaningless and that individuals must confront this reality without illusions. Through Meursault, Camus challenges readers to consider the consequences of living authentically in a world that demands conformity and meaning where none inherently exists.

The Outsider is celebrated for its sparse, direct prose and its profound exploration of human existence, making it a key text in existential literature.