The Plague

Fantastic little read, from a fantastic author. Camus and Vonnegut sort of invoke similar feelings in me, with their “and so it goes” and “life is just absurd”. Love them both.

It was particularly interesting to read it during the start of the Covid pandemic, with so many of the reactions on the book being replicated across the Globe.... very insightful...

I would like to read this one again in the future (this time in text format so I can better grasp the narrative and underline to my heart's content).

I identified with and agreed with a lot of the author's ideas of human life and existentialism. Humans are great.. but also we kinda suck. Having lived through a worldwide pandemic, there were many points of this book that just rang true for me. The feelings of being a prisoner in my own city, what it means to love and support other humans, and what it means to be a member of a community and how much work one should devote to the collective. Very, very interesting especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Quotes:

“In fact, it comes to this: nobody is capable of really thinking about anyone, even in the worst calamity. For really to think about someone means thinking about that person every minute of the day, without letting one's thoughts be diverted by anything- by meals, by a fly that settles on one's cheek, by household duties, or by a sudden itch somewhere. But there are always flies and itches. That's why life is difficult to live.”

“There are more things to admire in men then to despise.”

“What's true of all the evils in the world is true of plague as well. It helps men to rise above themselves.”

“There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.”

“In this respect, our townsfolk were like everybody else, wrapped up in themselves; in other words, they were humanists: they disbelieved in pestilences. A pestilence isn't a thing made to man's measure; therefore we tell ourselves that pestilence is a mere bogy of the mind, a bad dream that will pass away. But it doesn't always pass away and, from one bad dream to another, it is men who pass away, and the humanists first of all, because they have taken no precautions.”

“When a war breaks out, people say: “It's too stupid; it can't last long.” But though a war may well be “too stupid,” that doesn't prevent its lasting. Stupidity has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves.”

“A loveless world is a dead world.”

“I know that man is capable of great deeds. But if he isn't capable of great emotion, well, he leaves me cold.”

Interesante lectura que ejemplifica muy bien lo vivido durante una epidemia. Es bastante preciso porque describe diferentes ideologías, mentalidades y actitudes ante lo que se está viviendo, que efectivamente se muestran en el día a día de una emergencia sanitaria de tal magnitud. 
Por pasajes tiende a decaer un poco la narración y tornarse monótona, de ahí que no consigue las 5 estrellas.

Rating: 3.75 leaves out of 5
Characters: 3.5/5
Cover: 3/5
Story: 3.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Classic/Horror
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Yeah

I am not sure what turned me onto this book but I read this in thinking it was more that what it was. I was expecting a lot more crazy and what I got seemed like an essay or sorts that should be read for a class room. Now, did I not enjoy it? No, I did like some aspects. It made me think a bit. The uncanniness that this book closely relates to what we have been through is something... I am not the biggest fan of. It is unnerving to say the least.

That being said I am glad I have this book under my belt. It showed us, though I think we all don't really need a reminding so soon, of how fragile life is and how you, no matter what, have no final say in when you go. I did round it down to a 3 because I did enjoy it but not enough to a 4.

The writing is great and I enjoyed this even though it gets a bit too philosophical for me sometimes. When that happens, nothing much happens and while I was aware that that's rather typical for Camus, it's just not something I'm interested in. I can definitely relate to this novel a lot more now and it might be the only reason why I enjoyed this, as I didn't really care much about the characters and with not too much happening, I lost interest in reading this a lot. The only thing I really enjoyed throughout reading this novel is the writing. There's just something beautiful about how Camus wrote about such difficult times.

“No, you didn't know all that; those are things that are never spoken of. For the plague-stricken their peace of mind is more important than a human life. Decent folks must be allowed to sleep easy o' nights, mustn't they?”

“Can one be saint without God?”

I didn't want to compare this book to COVID, but it could have been a good read that would have prepared and explained many things to me at that time. To be honest, this book is a great read for any occasion. The only drawback was that I did not like the English translation at all. At some point, I switched to the Russian translation, and the text was so well-written. Words had a broader meaning, while the English translation lacked some depth. Maybe there is a better translation than this one.

“La peste” è un romanzo dello scrittore francese Albert Camus del 1947. Appena pubblicata, l'opera riscosse un grande successo (oltre 160.000 copie vendute nei primi due anni), ottenendo tra l'altro il Prix de la Critique. La peste rientra nella produzione di Camus definita “ciclo dell'assurdo”, che include anche un'altra celebre opera dello scrittore francese, “Lo straniero”.

La città algerina di Orano è colpita da un'epidemia inesorabile e tremenda: la peste. Dopo la chiusura delle porte si troverà isolata dal resto del mondo, affamata, incapace di fermare la pestilenza, diventerà una bolgia infernale un banco di prova per tutti gli animi umani. La fede religiosa, l'edonismo di chi non crede alle astrazioni, ma neppure è capace di “essere felice da solo”, il semplice sentimento del proprio dovere sono i protagonisti della vicenda insieme ai personaggi quali il dottor Rieux, Tarrou e Rambert. Narratori con le loro vicende dell'inabissarsi di una città intera verso il fondo della ragione.

Camus, come gia' fatto nello “Straniero”, mette in un mostra tutta la sua maestria nell'arte dello scrivere. Con un bisturi molto affilato seziona lo squallore, la disperazione e la rassegnazione, ma anche il valore e il coraggio dei singoli. La peste è il male che ci attanaglia, come epidemia nella nostra storia (come altre epidemie) e nell'esistenza di ognuno di noi: è il dolore che combattiamo ogni giorno, pur sapendo che ogni vittoria ottenuta non è mai completamente capace di debellarlo.

In ogni caso, personalmente ho trovato questo romanzo inferiore a “Lo straniero”, forse per via della scrittura più lenta, di un ritmo poco serrato che mi ha rallentato nella lettura, anche se sono rimasto anche questa volta profondamente affascinato dalla scrittura di Camus.

(eng/pt-br) The Plague - Albert Camus (1 reading): 76/100 (reviewed in 7-24-2021)

There's something poetic on the fragility that envolves human life, and that becomes clear on the situation that this book brings to the table.

Sincerely speaking, i've always had a bias against Camus. All that absurdist philosophy, coming from a materialist atheist, never made my mind

Easy to imagine that i have always avoided Camus and any of his works, homever, while visiting my grandfathers, i've found a The Plague edition dated of Christmas-1975 on my grandpa's bookshelf - gift he received from my now deceased great aunt, which i never had the opportunity to meet.

So, i put myself on the commitment to read this for a few days, and it really surprised me on not being a existencialism pamphelt disguised as a romance, but an actually interesting and consistent book.

The beginning of the narrative we are presented to Rieux, a doctor who eventually will oppose the plague, on the effort to save as many lifes as possible.

Camus' rhetoric is dry, which leads me to believe that this is one of the reasons this book achieved such a “cult” status. Phrases like “they suffer, not knowing why” and “the plague is the life” are recurring on the narrative, that while adding little to the narrative, improve it's atmosphere.

Characters like Paneloux, Cottard and Grand are definitively the best part of the book. Their personal dilemmas are narrated on a magistral way. The Priest's faith crisis, Grand's regret and the happiness - and eventual agony - from Cottard (which i would say that it is the book's most interesting character) make the narrative more interesting then when the it is describing the “main” characters' events, like Rieux, Tarrou and Rambert.

The “secondary plots”, which is the day i decided to call these session, are another interesting addition to the book. A lot of times, the narrator will describe events which generalize the Oran's citizens, so we see the general reaction to the epidemic, like faith crisis, rebellions against inequality and insatisfaction with the government.

The alegoric part of the book is, also, curious. The pest being the absurd of life, which can suddenly strike us hard. Kinda cliché, but well executed.

In general, it's enjoyable, but it's negative sides are blatant: Camus' rhetoric at times alternates between prolix and exhausting to dry and dull. There are some chapters that seem “useless”, and the “revelation” of the last chapter is disappointing, as if the author had that idea at the last minute.

In the end, The Plague is a good book, but the most intruiging part is to contrast it to the pandemic situation of 2020-2021, i wish i did read it before, because since then, this will never be the same reading.

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Existe algo de poético na fragilidade que envolve a vida humana, e essa se torna clara na situação que envolve a trama do livro.

Sinceramente, sempre tive um preconceito com Camus. Toda essa filosofia absurdista, vinda de um ateu materialista, simplesmente nunca fez minha mente.

Fácil imaginar que eu sempre me esquivei de ler qualquer obra dele, porém, ao visitar meus avós, encontrei uma edição datada do natal de 75 na biblioteca do meu avô — presente que ele recebeu da minha falecida tia-avó, que nunca tive a oportunidade de conhecer.

Então, me coloquei na leitura desse livro por alguns dias, e ele me surpreendeu por não ser um panfleto filosófico do existencialismo disfarçado de romance, mas um livro realmente interessante e consistente.

O início da narrativa nos apresenta Rieux, um médico que eventualmente travará uma espécie de embate contra a peste, na tentativa de salvar o máximo de pessoas possíveis.

A retórica de Camus é seca, o que me leva a acreditar que este é um dos motivos dos quais esse livro atingiu um status “cult”. Frases como “sofrem, sem saber porquê” e “a peste é a vida” são recorrentes na narrativa, que mesmo sendo frases que pouco adicionam na descrição, incrementam para a atmosfera do livro.

Personagens como Paneloux, Cottard e Grand são, definitivamente, a melhor parte do livro. Seus dilemas pessoais são narrados de forma magistral. As crises de fé do padre, o remorso de Grand e a felicidade — e eventual angústia — de Cottard (que eu diria ser o personagem mais fascinante do livro), tornam a narrativa mais interessante até mesmo do que quando é narrado os eventos dos personagens “principais”, como Rieux, Tarrou e Rambert.

Os “tramas secundários”, que foi a forma que decidi denominar essas sessões, são outra parte interessante do livro. Muitas vezes o narrador descreve eventos que generaliza os cidadãos de Oran, assim vemos reações gerais à epidemia, como crises de fé, rebeliões contra a injustiça e insatisfação com o governo.

A parte alegórica do livro é, também, interessante. A peste mostra o absurdo da vida, que pode subitamente nos pôr de cabeça pra baixo. Clichê, porém bem executada.

No geral, a trama é agradável, mas seus pontos negativos também são gritantes: A retórica de Camus por vezes alterna entre cansativa e prolixa para seca e sem-graça. Existem capítulos que parecem inúteis, e a revelação do último capítulo chega a ser decepcionante, como que se o autor teve a ideia de última hora.

No fim, A Peste é um bom livro, mas a parte mais intrigante dele é o contrapor com a situação que passamos na pandemia de 2020, eu gostaria de ter o lido antes desse evento, pois desde então, essa leitura nunca mais será a mesma.