num_pages: 159
description: Meursault will not pretend. After the death of his mother, everyone is shocked when he shows no sadness. And when he commits a random act of violence in Algiers, society is baffled. Why would this seemingly law-abiding bachelor do such a thing? And why does he show no remorse even when it could save his life? His refusal to satisfy the feelings of others only increases his guilt in the eyes of the law. Soon Meursault discovers that he is being tried not simply for his crime, but for his lack of emotion - a reaction that condemns him for being an outsider. For Meursault, this is an insult to his reason and a betrayal of his hopes; for Camus it encapsulates the absurdity of life.
language: French
title: L'Étranger
titlecomplete: L'Étranger
characters: Salamano, Raymond Sintès, Meursault, Marie Cardona
genres: 20th Century, Philosophy, French Literature, Literary Fiction, Novels, School, Literature, Classics, Fiction, France
ratings_count: 1016475
places: New Mexico, Algeria, North Africa
awards: awardedAt: 599644800000
name: PEN Translation Prize
category: Matthew Ward
publisher: Gauthier-Villars