The Plague“Its relevance lashes you across the face.” —Stephen Metcalf, The Los Angeles Times • “A redemptive book, one that wills the reader to believe, even in a time of despair.” —Roger Lowenstein, The Washington Post A haunting tale of human resilience and hope in the face of unrelieved horror, Albert Camus' iconic novel about an epidemic ravaging the people of a North African coastal town is a classic of twentieth-century literature. The townspeople of Oran are in the grip of a deadly plague, which condemns its victims to a swift and horrifying death. Fear, isolation and claustrophobia follow as they are forced into quarantine. Each person responds in their own way to the lethal disease: some resign themselves to fate, some seek blame, and a few, like Dr. Rieux, resist the terror. An immediate triumph when it was published in 1947, The Plague is in part an allegory of France's suffering under the Nazi occupation, and a timeless story of bravery and determination against the precariousness of human existence. |
From inside the book
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Page 84
... once so noisy at this hour , was strangely still . The only sounds were some bugle - calls echoing through the air , still golden with the end of daylight ; the army , anyhow , was making a show of carrying on as usual . Meanwhile , as ...
... once so noisy at this hour , was strangely still . The only sounds were some bugle - calls echoing through the air , still golden with the end of daylight ; the army , anyhow , was making a show of carrying on as usual . Meanwhile , as ...
Page 160
... once more with Raoul . Naturally this couldn't be done before the next day but one . " I see , " Rambert said . " I'll have to start it all over again , from scratch . " On the next day but one , Raoul , whom Rambert met at a street ...
... once more with Raoul . Naturally this couldn't be done before the next day but one . " I see , " Rambert said . " I'll have to start it all over again , from scratch . " On the next day but one , Raoul , whom Rambert met at a street ...
Page 251
... once I admitted the arguments of necessity and force majeure put forward by the less eminent , I couldn't reject those of the eminent . To which they retorted that the surest way of playing the game of the red robes was to leave to them ...
... once I admitted the arguments of necessity and force majeure put forward by the less eminent , I couldn't reject those of the eminent . To which they retorted that the surest way of playing the game of the red robes was to leave to them ...
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Albert Camus ambulance anyhow asthma began Bois de Boulogne Booker Prize breath café called camp Castel coming concierge Cottard crowd dark dead rats death disease doctor door entered epidemic exile eyes face Father Paneloux feeling fellow citizens felt fever FLAUBERT'S PARROT followed gates gave gazed going Gonzales Grand hand heard heart hope horse hoofs hospital hour idea journalist knew light living looked mind morning mother narrator never night once Oran Othon patient pestilence Philip Roth picture plague pneumonic plague police Prefect quarantine quicklime railway directory Rambert realized Rieux asked Rieux replied round sanitary seemed silence smile sort sound street streetcars suffering talking Tarrou asked tell there's thing thought told took town townsfolk trying turned voice waiting walked walls week wife window words