The Plague

Albert Camus · 1913–1960 · Algeria / France

Originally La Peste (French)

Why it matters

Quarantined Oran versus the pestilence: an allegory of Occupation and of every collective catastrophe since, rediscovered by millions in 2020. Camus's answer to the absurd: 'the only way to fight the plague is decency.'

At a glance

Clear chronicle-style prose, though its allegorical layers require reflection.