Camus Works

Albert Camus was many things: an author, playwright, journalist and political activist to name a few. Below is a list of his major works in various fields.

Novels

The Stranger / The Outsider / L'étranger (1942)

The Plague / La peste (1947)

The Fall / La chute (1956)

A Happy Death / La mort heureuse (written 1936-38, published 1971)

The First Man / Le premier homme (incomplete, published 1994)

Plays

Caligula (written 1938, performed 1945)

The Misunderstanding / Le malentendu (1944)

The State of Siege / L'état de siège (1948)

The Just Assassins / Les justes (1949)

Requiem for a Nun / Requiem pour une nonne (1956)

The Possessed / Les possédés (1959)

Short Stories

Exile and the Kingdom / L’exil et le royaume (1957) short story collection containing:

  • “The Adulterous Woman” / “La famme adultère”

  • “The Renegade or a Confused Spirit” / “Le renégat ou un esprit confus”

  • “The Silent Men” / “Les muets”

  • “The Guest” / “L'hôte”

  • “Jonas, or the Artist at Work” / “Jonas, ou l'artiste au travail”

  • “The Growing Stone” / “La pierre qui pousse”

Extended Essays

The Myth of Sisyphus / Le mythe de Sisyphe (1942)

The Rebel / L'homme révolté (1951)

Reflections on the Guillotine / Réflexions sur la guillotine (1957)

Autobiographical

Notebooks 1935–1942 / Carnets I : mai 1935 – fevrier 1942 (1962)

Notebooks 1942–1951 / Carnets II : janvier 1942 – mars 1951 (1964)

Youthful Writings (1976)

American Journals / Journaux de voyage (1978)

Notebooks 1951–1959 / Carnets III : mars 1951 – décembre 1959 (1989, in English 2008)

Letters

Correspondence, 1932-1960 / Correspondance, 1932-1960 (letters between Albert Camus and Jean Grenier, 1981)

Letters 1944-1959 / Correspondance 1944–1959 (letters between Albert Camus and Maria Casarès, 2017)

Academic Theses

Christian Metaphysics and Neoplatonism / Métaphysique chrétienne et néoplatonisme (1935)

Lectures

The Crisis of Man (lecture at Columbia University, 1946)

Create Dangerously / Essay on Realism and Artistic Creation (lecture at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, 1957)

Essays & Essay Collections

Betwixt and Between / The Wrong Side and the Right Side, Collection / L'envers et l'endroit (1937) containing the following essays:

  • “Irony” / “L'ironie”

  • “Between Yes and No” / “Entre oui et non”

  • “Death in the Soul” / “La mort dans l'âme”

  • “Love of Life” / “Amour de vivre”

  • “The Wrong Side and The Right Side” / “L'envers et l'endroit”

Nuptials / Noces (1938) containing the following essays:

  • “Nuptials at Tipasa” / “Noces à Tipasa”

  • “The Wind at Djemila” / “Le vent à Djémila”

  • “Summer in Algiers” / “L'été à Alger”

  • “The Desert” / “Le désert”

Neither Victims nor Executioners (series of articles in Combat, 1946)

Why Spain? (essay for the theatrical play L'état de siège, 1948)

Summer / L'été (1954)

  • “The Minotaur, or Stopping in Oran” / “Le minotaure ou la halte d'Oran”

  • “The Almond Trees” / “Les amandiers”

  • “Prometheus in the Underworld” / “Prométhée aux Enfers”

  • “A Short Guide to Towns Without a Past” / “Petit guide pour des villes sans passé”

  • “Helen’s Exile” / “L'exil d'Hélène”

  • “The Enigma” / “L'énigme”

  • “Return to Tipasa” / “Retour à Tipasa”

  • “The Sea Close By” / “La mer au plus près (Journal de bord)”

Resistance, Rebellion, and Death / Lettres à un ami allemand (Letters to a German Friend) (collection, 1960) containing:

  • Letters to a German Friend

  • The Liberation of Paris

    • “The Blood of Freedom”

    • “The Night of Truth”

  • The Flesh

  • Pessimism and Tyranny

    • “Pessimism and Courage”

    • “Defense of Intelligence”

  • The Unbeliever and Christians

  • “Why Spain?”

  • Defense of Freedom

    • “Bread and Freedom”

    • “Homage to an Exile”

  • Algeria

    • “Preface to Algerian Reports”

    • “Letter to an Algerian Militant”

    • “Appeal to a Civilian Truce”

    • “Algeria 1958”

  • Hungary

    • “Kadar Had His Day of Fear”

    • “Socialism of the Gallows”

  • “Reflections on the Guillotine”

  • The Artist and His Time

    • “The Wager of Our Generation”

    • “Create Dangerously”

Lyrical and Critical Essays (collection, 1968) containing:

  • The Wrong Side and the Right Side

  • Nuptials

  • Summer

  • The Rains of New York

Camus at Combat: Writing 1944-1947 / Camus a Combat: Éditoriaux et articles (1944-1947) (series of editorials and articles from Combat, 2002)

Algerian Chronicles / Chroniques algériennes (1958, first English translation published 2013) containing the following articles:

  • The Misery of Kabylia / Misère de la Kabylie

    • “Destitution” / “Le dénuement”

    • “Destitution (continued)” / “Le dénuement (suite)”

    • “Wages” / “Les salaires”

    • “Education” / “L’enseignement”

    • “The Political Future” / “L’avenir politique”

    • “The Economic and Social Future” / “L’avenir économique et social”

    • “Conclusion”

  • Crisis in Algeria / Crise en Algérie

    • “Crisis in Algeria” / “Crise en Algérie”

    • “Famine in Algeria” / “La famine en Algérie”

    • “Ships and Justice” / “Des bateaux et de la justice”

    • “The Political Malaise” / “Le malaise politique”

    • “The Party of the Manifesto” / “Le Parti du Manifeste”

    • “Conclusion”

  • “Letter to an Algerian Militant” / “Lettre à un militant algérien”

  • Algeria Torn / L’Algérie déchirée

    • “The Missing” / “L’absente”

    • “The Roundtable” / “La table ronde”

    • “A Clear Conscience” / “La bonne conscience”

    • “The True Surrender” / “La vraie démission”

    • “The Adversary’s Reasons” / “Les raisons de l’adversaire”

    • “November 1” / “Premier novembre”

    • “A Truce for Civilians” / “Trêve pour les civils”

    • “The Party of Truce” / “Le Parti de la trêve”

    • “Call for a Civilian Truce in Algeria” / “Appel pour une trêve civile”

  • The Maisonseul Affair / L’affaire Maisonseul

    • “Letter to Le Monde” / “Lettre au Monde”

    • “Govern!” / “Gouvernez!”

  • Algeria 1958 / Algérie 1958

    • “Algeria 1958” / “Algérie 1958”

    • “The New Algeria” / “L’Algérie nouvelle”