The Guest
Albert Camus
By: Ashley McGill
Albert Camus Background
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Born 1913 in Algeria
1914 father died in WWI
1935-1938 Theatre de L’Equipe
1940-1960 Journalist, editor, playwright
and director, novelist and short story
writer, political essayist and activist, and
philosopher
– 1951 writes the short stories in Exile and the
Kingdom, including The Guest)
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/albert-camus-114.php.
Albert Camus-Political Stud
• Algeria experiences
– Member of L’Equipe (Algerian theater group)
• Creation of Revolte dans les Asturies banned for political
reasons
• Wrote an essay on the state of Muslims
– Lost his job due to essay
• Joined French Resistance against the Nazis
• Columnist for the underground newspaper
Combat
• 1947 retired political journalist
• 1957 wins the Nobel Prize in literature
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/albert-camus-114.php.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1957/camus-bio.html
The Guest
• Published in 1957
– Part of Exile and the Kingdom series
• Takes place in Algerian war
– Camus uses what he has experienced to write this story.
• Contains Camus’ philosophical ideas
• Themes:
– Morality
– Solitude
– Freedom
– Human Knowledge
– The Absurd
“The absurd is born of this confrontation between the
human need and the unreasonable silence of the
world.” -Camus
http://www.gradesaver.com/the-guest/study-guide/about/
Time Period
• The story was written during the years that
lead to the Algerian war in 1954
– Contains colonial issues of the time
• Story was difficult to write without
worsening the tensions between the
French and Arab Algerians.
– Multiple revisions
http://www.gradesaver.com/the-guest/study-guide/about/
Works Cited
“Albert Camus – Biographical.”
Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web.
23 Apr 2014.
“Albert Camus.” 2014. The Famous
People website. 23 Apr 2014.
Tornaritis, Nicholas. Miller, W.C. ed. “The
Guest Background.” GradeSaver, 17 May
2007 Web. 23 Apr 2014.