"Η Πανούκλα" is a book that has once again come to the forefront due to the times we are living in. However, its timelessness is undoubtedly. But what is the plague of Camus? Is it simply a physical illness? Surely it is something more than that. It is the "plague" that we all carry within us. Some manage to "defeat" it, others it cripples, while some simply pass it on with a "breath". "Η Πανούκλα" is an allegorical book with its starting point being the black death - as the plague that decimated medieval Europe was named. Moreover, the writing of the work coincides with the rise of Nazism and for this reason it is full of symbols that incinerate totalitarian regimes.

In "Η Πανούκλα" then we meet desperate rebels who will try to go against the law, prophets who proclaim that the pandemic is a divine punishment against human sin, but also dedicated ideologues who fight to win an unequal battle against death.

At the end of the book, the plague is contained, leaving a hopeful feeling. However, nothing is definitive. Constant vigilance is the only protection we have against pandemics, whether they are viruses or totalitarian regimes.

One of the excerpts that I retained states the following: "Like all the diseases of the world. What holds true for all the evils, holds true for the plague as well. It too can kill some. However, when you see the pain and the wretchedness that it spreads, you must be crazy, blind or cowardly to give in to it."

The hardest part of a review is often the first sentence. But we've overcome that hurdle, and now we can continue. I found something quite endearing in my struggle to write this review of The Plague by Albert Camus. In the story, there's a character who spends the entire time trying to perfect the first sentence of his novel. He dreams of a sentence that will make editors exclaim 'hats off, gentleman'. In his pursuit of the perfect sentence, he finds himself starting over again and again, in an endless cycle. Those familiar with Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus will recognize his penchant for the absurdity of constantly starting anew. As the journalist Rambert observes about life under the titular plague in the novel: 'it consists of starting over.'

And so, the Sisyphian cycle continues in the Algerian city of Oran, which is quarantined due to a rampant plague. The collective actions of key individuals attempt to combat the rising death tolls that seem to strike and kill people at random, making everything feel absurd and hope something that one must create. Originally published in 1947, The Plague is widely regarded as an allegorical look at the Nazi occupation of Paris, where Camus worked as a journalist for the underground resistance. Reading it now, in a post-2020 world affected by COVID, is a startling and deeply personal experience. However, there's no better time to read it than now, in its recently retranslated form by Laura Marris. Camus' words resonate even more strongly through an unsettling familiarity.

This book has lasting power not only because of its subject matter but also because of the way Camus approaches it. There's an excellent cast of characters, including the overburdened Dr. Rieux, the mysterious Jean Tarrou, Grand (the government clerk who is constantly working on the death toll figures and his first sentence), and the journalist Rambert, among others. Their actions in fighting the plague together make for a book that has been widely discussed for decades, with many aspects to consider, such as the ideas behind the stylistic choices, the allegorical implications, and the philosophical questions about death, god, and even Camus' own life. It's fascinating to view our current issues through the lens of Camus' tale, and as Alice Yaeger Kaplan writes in States of Plague: Reading Albert Camus in a Pandemic, a book co-written with rotating essays from her and translator Laura Marris, 'Camus allegorized war as plague, but plague, too, can be deployed as a political allegory.' Examining the interplay between the two makes The Plague a captivating read that is as relevant today as it ever was.

The Plague is one of the outstanding literary works in the world and a philosophical work by Albert Camus, which reports strange events that describe a society that is aimless and worthless, and has no balance.

In this book, Camus takes us on a journey into the many characters in the story who exist in the city of Oran, and the plague is the strange event of the city of Oran.

Although more than half a century has passed since the publication of The Plague, it still retains its importance. The plot of the novel "The Plague", whose narrator does not introduce himself until almost the end of the book, takes place in a city called "Aran". This book is about a city that is completely ravaged by the plague, and the first sign of it is the attack of rats on the city.

Camus has examined the situations and mentalities of individuals at different times during this period in this novel. Compassion, savagery, remorse, and so on in a unified disaster. Camus writes in a letter to Roland Barthes about this novel that in comparison to the novel "The Stranger", "The Plague" is silent about the transition from individual alienation to social alienation; a society that must participate in its struggles. If there is a path from "The Stranger" to "The Plague" towards transformation, this transformation is in the world of connection and participation.

Albert Camus is one of the great philosophers of the 20th century and one of the famous writers and the author of the book "The Stranger". In 1957, because with his clear-sighted sincerity, he has revealed the problem of the human conscience in the present era and has created a significant value in literature, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He studied at the University of Algiers and was a goalkeeper for the football team of this university until he was infected with tuberculosis in 1930. Albert Camus is a famous writer, journalist, and philosopher of the 20th century whose ideas have led to the emergence of the philosophy of nihilism. He has claimed in the article "The Rebel" that he has spent his entire life fighting against absurdity and believes in individual freedoms.

A good read is like a precious gem that shines with its own unique charm. It is often simple in its language, yet manages to convey profound thoughts and emotions. The prose is quiet, like a gentle breeze that caresses your soul, inviting you to slow down and reflect.

Such a read has the power to transport you to different worlds, to make you see things from new perspectives, and to touch your heart in ways you never thought possible. It can be a source of inspiration, a refuge in times of stress, or simply a means of escaping from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Whether it's a classic novel, a collection of short stories, or a work of non-fiction, a good read has the ability to stay with you long after you've turned the last page. It becomes a part of you, shaping your thoughts and influencing your outlook on life. So, take the time to find that perfect book and let yourself be carried away by its magic.

The Plague is one of the most-read classics in 2020 and is currently even sold out in Italy and France. Now that we, who have lived in peace and security for decades, see that our healthy world can be upended by a simple virus, surprisingly, in addition to paper products in supermarkets, we are also seeking answers in literature. Or at least the perspective of a philosopher. I have joined the ranks of readers of The Plague because I was interested in how Camus describes the impact on society during a plague epidemic.

"Nothing is less sensational than a plague, and by virtue of its very duration, great misfortunes are monotonous. In the memory of those who have lived through it, the terrible days of the plague do not appear as grandiose and cruel conflagrations, but rather as an endless treadmill that crushes everything."

This passage very well describes my current feeling of life and also the reading feeling when reading Camus' work. The book is written in a very matter-of-fact way, almost in the tone of a chronicler. This is mostly impressive, but in some places also very distant. I imagine the plague as a disease to be described as dirty, loud, lamenting, and in a feverish way. But Camus deliberately rejected this narrative style, for in the end, he justifies himself through the protagonist Dr. Rieux. He "placed great value on... striking the tone of the objective witness.... He wanted to do it with the desirable restraint." However, this combination of endless treadmill and its restrained description can not only touch the heart but also make the well-formulated sentences almost swim before the reader's eyes.

In this regard, the story of the plague outbreak in the city of Oran on the western coast of Algeria in the 1940s was already difficult reading. Camus focuses very little on the people directly suffering from the plague. Instead, he examines the impact on those healthy people who remain in the infected ghetto to help or at least to organize a continued existence. Besides Dr. Rieux, who almost collapses under the burden of helping the sick, his friend, a civil servant, a Jesuit priest, a pensioner, a lawyer, and a writer are in the spotlight. It is noticeable that there are almost no female figures in the novel.

One should not try to forcibly search for the philosophy in Camus' work but rather let what is read have an effect on oneself. It is not at all necessary to know something about existentialism or the philosophy of the absurd to understand the novel. Camus' views are very clearly and understandably formulated, which is especially reflected in the discussions between the atheist Rieux and the priest. Rieux is entirely committed to humanity, calls for solidarity, and lets his actions be determined by humanism. When the priest describes the plague as God's punishment, then Rieux, because one (I think) can equate with Camus, becomes energetic and indignant. Camus' rejection of a divine existence becomes more than clear, especially when the little son of the lawyer dies of the plague, and he laments that he cannot believe in a God who allows children to suffer like this.

Parallels to the current Corona situation can already be seen, even though of course, the plague is by far the worse epidemic. Even we can find many beautiful examples of great social cohesion despite outbreaks of selfishness when shopping in the supermarket. Dr. Rieux and also Camus would surely have liked that.

Officialdom can never cope with something really catastrophic.
As with all of Camus’s books, The Plague is a seamless blend of philosophy and art. The story tells of an outbreak of plague—bubonic and pneumonic—in the Algerian city of Oran. The narration tracks the crisis from beginning to end, noting the different psychological reactions of the townsfolk. Now that we are living through a pandemic, it must be said that Camus is remarkably prescient in his portrayal of a city under siege from infection. Compelling as the story is, however, its real power resides in its meaning as a parable of Camus’s philosophy.

Camus’s philosophy, usually called absurdism, is often misunderstood as a call to embrace the absurdity of existence. But it is not as simple as giving up church on Sundays. Absurdism is incompatible with both conventional religion and traditional humanism. The best definition of humanism is perhaps Protagoras’s famous saying: “Man is the measure of all things.” However, a plague is a perfect example of something that is not made to man’s measure, reminding us that we exist at the mercy of an uncaring universe.
This idea is painful to contemplate, and most of us prefer to ignore it. But there are moments when the illusion fades, and it does not take a pandemic. A simple snowstorm can be enough to make our plans seem small and irrelevant. A plague, then, is an ideal situation for Camus to explore his philosophy.
In this book, Camus presents a model of heroism very different from that which we are used to. The hero of this story, Dr. Bernard Rieux, does not fit the humanist mold of a powerful and free person who chooses to be a hero because of their goodness. Instead, his heroism is far humbler and more modest: it is the heroism of “common decency,” of “doing my job.” For Camus, life itself is the only real ethical principle, and the only meaningful ethical choice is whether one chooses to fight for life.
This book is brilliant because its lessons can be applied to both natural disasters, like a plague, and human disasters, like the holocaust. In either case, our obligation is to fight for life, reject ideologies that decree when life is or is not warranted, not give up or give in, and most of all, do one’s job.

The plague is not just a literal epidemic of the modern Bubonic Plague that sweeps through a town in Algeria.

It is also figurative and symbolic. The African town of Oran, a colonial remnant, is "sealed off" as a result. This can be seen as a parallel to how political powers seal us off from the obtrusive and disturbing Truth in modern times.

Does this sound familiar?

But here's the thing... within its sealed demesne, good men are actively engaged in doing Good Things within the vibrant framework of a new kind of postmodernist Faith. As Paul Tillich said, echoing Karl Barth, they have faith in a God beyond the worn-out bourgeois god.

They also have faith in their own efforts, to tirelessly combat the insidious Evil of the Bubonic Threat.

Yes, the postwar years witnessed the genesis of a plague-like, veiled, formless despair that still chills our blood in the twenty-first century. But here, it has been manfully faced and contained by a few good men like these.

They are not many, but they have bravely decided to live and work, bodily and humanly incarnated in a brutally absurd world.

And we can do the same for ourselves.

Now.

We can avoid being bodiless, bloodless internet junkies of no apparent tangible good.

The forces of law, as in Camus' symbolic postwar Algeria, try to stifle the truth with ingrained fearful and useless conditioning.

But brave men REFUSE not to act, even under the paralysis of our modern-day plague. "Ours is ONLY (and always) the Trying."

It's a stark, gainless grappling with an Angel, for even Jacob was disabled for life by such combat.

But he kept on fighting.

Excelsior.

Unlike so many of us today who have just given up.

But we, even when innocent children are senselessly dying in the plague's pointless grip, though we reject the modern ersatz gods, we don't give up, as Oran's tireless doctor says.

For we are informed in our souls, nerve endings, and stretched sinews by a vision that refuses to die:

Why listen to The Lies?

We can speak out for The Discarded Truth! And just watch for...

The vision of that infinite God beyond god that Refuses to Quit -

And refuses to just stand by, watching and helpless...

As His Angel disjoints us.

Coronavirus, which they initially said was nothing, has now become a big deal, and the cities that didn't implement quarantine

It is precisely these quarantined cities that have made the plague that I read about several years ago come alive again for me. Certainly, coronavirus is not as dangerous as the plague, but the current situation where coronavirus is spreading day by day and causing casualties makes us feel a closeness to the world of books. So if you haven't read the book yet, now is a good time

Note: Schools, universities, and cultural centers that have been closed, and businesses that have come to a standstill, now have a lot of free time

Warning: After reading the book, you may be scared whenever you see a mouse

The Plague:

The first book I read by Albert Camus was his remarkable "The Stranger" (if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it). Based on the good experience I had with "The Stranger", I started reading "The Plague", but unfortunately, it couldn't meet my expectations

The story is about a town, where the lives of ordinary people are turned into hell due to the outbreak of the plague. The joys and laughter that turned into tears and wailing, the friendships that were broken, the loves that were forgotten, the beliefs that emerged and the beliefs that vanished, the story of the dead and the living, of despair and hope

Although the book has many very beautiful details and it is clear that a lot of work has been done on each dialogue, it also had a big problem. I don't know if the flaw was in the book itself or in its translation, but it caused the book to have a very slow rhythm and be very tiring to read, to the extent that it made it difficult for me to read the book.

"قتلتني مللاً..!" can be translated as "My nation killed me..!". Here is an expanded version of this statement:

My nation, which I had always loved and been loyal to, has seemingly turned against me. It feels as if a part of my very being has been torn away. The pain of this realization is almost too much to bear. How could those who are supposed to be my own people cause me such harm? It makes me question everything I thought I knew about loyalty, identity, and belonging. I am left here, feeling betrayed and alone, with only the echo of these words in my heart: "My nation killed me..!"

It's important to note that the original statement is quite powerful and emotional, and this expansion attempts to capture some of that depth and complexity. However, the specific meaning and context of the original may vary depending on the situation in which it was said.

An interesting article by a philosophy professor explores the meaning of a novel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article begins by quoting a line from the novel: "On croît difficilement aux fléaux lorsqu'ils nous tombent sur la tête." It then describes the story of the novel, where a wave of bubonic plague hits the Algerian city of Oran in the mid-1940s. The city is sealed, and its inhabitants react in different ways. Camus tells this story in a detached, beautiful prose, exploring existentialist questions.

The article also discusses the context in which the novel was written, suggesting that it was an allegory for the French Occupation and Resistance during WWII. The isolation houses, bureaucracy, and crumbling social order in the novel are compared to the situation in France during the war.

The idea that a plague can suddenly resurface and decimate a population is used to illustrate the lack of preparation and disbelief that the French felt when they were invaded. The article then quotes a line from John Mulaney's comedy special, highlighting the author's own disbelief at the resurgence of violent nationalist and white-supremacist movements.

In the coda, Camus warns that the plague might disappear for now but could return. The article compares "The Plague" to other dystopian books about plagues, suggesting that they were all inspired by Camus on some level.

The author concludes by saying that they enjoyed "The Plague" more than "The Stranger" and that it felt very relevant to the current state of the world. They recommend that others read it and will shelve it with their dystopian novels.

Rio was shocked - as were our fellow citizens - by this epidemic. And in this regard, we should analyze his hesitation. In this regard, we should also understand that he was oscillating between anxiety and certainty. When the flames of war flare up, people say: It will not last long, because its continuation stems from the greatest folly. But the reality is that nothing is more foolish than war. However, this does not prevent it from lasting, as folly is tenacious. And we can clearly feel this if we look a little beyond the confinement of our thinking to ourselves. And then our fellow citizens were, in this respect, like other people. Their thinking was confined to themselves. In other words, they were impoverished in humanity. That is, they did not believe in epidemics. For the epidemic is greater than man. And so people tend to believe that it is not a matter of reality, and that the matter does not go beyond a disturbing dream that will soon end. But the dream does not always end, and then the disturbing dreams follow one another, until people exhaust themselves in them - and among them are the proponents of humanistic philosophy - because they did not take the matter seriously. So our fellow citizens were not more aware than others. All that happened was that they forgot to be humble, and they thought that everything was still possible for them. And this means that epidemics are not possible to occur. So they continued to make deals, prepare trips, and embrace opinions. How could they then think about the typhus that determines the future, the journeys, and the discussions? They thought they were free, but there is no freedom as long as the epidemic exists.

He knew what was going on in his mother's mind, and that she loved him. But he also knew that it was not a great thing for a man to love another being, or at least that love never reaches a degree of strength that can find an expression of itself with it. So he and his mother loved each other in silence. And she will die, or he may die, without them being able to overcome that during their lives in a way that feels the tenderness of one for the other.
He lived like this beside his friend Taro who died that evening, without their friendship being able to live as it should. Taro lost the battle, to put it in his words. But what did he win that he saw? All he won was that he knew the typhus, and kept its painful memory. And he knew friendship, and kept its memory. And he knew tenderness and will be forced one day to remember it. All that a person can win in the game of typhus and life is only knowledge and memory. Perhaps that is what Taro meant by saying "winning the battle".

From "Solitaire" to "Solidary"

The 1947 novel is the manifesto of the philosophy of the Rebel Man. Critical interpretations have often seen La Peste as a specific allegory of Nazism. However, the image of the contagious disease lends itself to being a general symbol of the evil that afflicts Man in his existence and, therefore, beyond places and times.

Algeria - Oran - The epidemic tells of a people uniform in its initial reactions: incredulous in the face of the succession of events (rats' deaths and bubonic fevers), despite the evidence of the signs, Man persists in making his daily life survive. This is nothing other than the "theory of the absurd" translated into the novel. Habit is a useful bulwark behind which to leave every possibility of reflecting on the meaning of things: thinking, in fact, is a threat because it brings confusion given the absurdity inherent in existence itself. Removing by taking refuge in habit is therefore one of the choices. An alternative is faith. The religious creed offers another sure shelter from the moment one blindly trusts the answers given.

In "La peste", the character of the Jesuit Paneloux well represents this attitude. Paneloux gathers the faithful and maintains that the epidemic has spread because "vous l'avez merité". In other words: you have sinned too much and this is the just divine punishment. Some, therefore, resign themselves to a condemnation for crimes they didn't even know they had committed. Others, instead, once the city is quarantined, think of fleeing.

Violence is another response to the exile to which Man is condemned but for Camus it is a fleeting solution that brings to light further problems. There are also those who do not want and/or cannot take refuge either in faith or in habit. There are those who think and reflect on other solutions not to succumb. So the idea that "the plague" is not only the problem of some but of all begins to take shape: one gradually emerges from solitude.

"There were no longer any individual destinies, but a collective history which was the plague and shared feelings. The greatest was separation and exile, with what that entailed of fear and revolt." From "solitaire" to "solidary": this is the revolt, in solidarity the meaning of existence is to be found.