Life is a continuous climb up a steep slope, with loose stones and scarce supports that allow for a necessary rest. This almost Herculean struggle reaches its zenith when one reaches the summit and manages to glimpse the immensity it encloses. But the panorama does not offer us, with a gentle hand, all the immense details and vertigo can arise when we notice the distance between the summit and the base - a breathtaking descent.

In these lines, laden with a strong philosophical bent, we follow the account of the experiences of a penitent judge, in a disguised attempt to atone for his possible sins - among them, pride, mockery, narcissism, and contempt. Perhaps due to the numbing guaranteed by the glasses of Geneva or the pestilent smell of some former docks, his thoughts turn into true paradoxes (as elucidated by his original position), leaving the interlocutor submerged in a wave of confusion. Until a final anchor that entangles him in a web of guilt that sucks him into the depths of the human soul.

Exploring the thirst for opulence and the iron will to equate to the divine, Camus puts his finger on the wound and presents a Man who does not preserve himself as a species. Instead, he pretends to assume a throne and subjugate others, like loyal subjects. In this individualistic and self-interested delusion, he will lose his footing and fall into a pit - where not even the Marianas can save him. At that moment, a laugh of joy will echo among the mountains of committed crimes. And then a silence - redemptive of calm!

"In philosophy as in politics, I am, therefore, for every theory that denies innocence to man and for every practice that treats him as guilty. You have in me, my dear, an enlightened advocate of slavery."

How foolish I was to assume this would be a quick little read.

I could not have been more wrong. I physically feel exhausted.

How did Camus write this? The fall is as dense as they come, bitter, excruciating. It forces you to cogitate.

The ideas are so repugnant and yet they keep gnawing inside your head.

The words are like evil dark matter that establishes its authority right from the start and stays there dictating, vandalizing your property.

I cannot believe I am giving this a 5 star rating.

I don't know, perhaps it's a glimpse into a godless mind, a wretched heart drenched in hedonism, directionless and tired.

It's unfortunate that people have to go through such misery.

Also, it shows a mirror to all of us. Aren't we all hypocrites in one way or another?

Writing this would have taken its toll on Camus. I am not ready to believe otherwise.

The last few pages are going to stay with me, like headless serpents.

I don't know, I feel blessed to be a believer, and also I'm shaken by this "quick little read".

It makes me question my own beliefs and values, and forces me to look deeper into myself.

Maybe that's the power of great literature, to make us uncomfortable and challenge our assumptions.

Camus has definitely achieved that with "The Fall".

Despite its difficult and disturbing nature, I can't help but admire the beauty and complexity of his writing.

It's a book that will stay with me for a long time, and I'm sure I'll be thinking about it for months to come.

A book in which everyone can find themselves within its pages and ask various questions about what it ultimately means to be good, that is, to be noble, hardworking, to sacrifice for others, and everything else that can characterize us as what we call a good person. Perhaps everything ultimately begins and ends within ourselves? Perhaps everything revolves around our ego and its satisfaction? But it is known that when you give to others, the first one to receive joy is yourself. So something is hidden within this observation, and perhaps it is the acceptance that our good deeds are not as innocent as they seem to show. Who are we really and how would we behave without an audience to watch us and praise us?

A book in which the truths succeed one another and hurt because they reach deep into the essence of our actions and reveal their true motives.

A book that must be read by everyone.

Sometimes, carrying on, just carrying on, is the superhuman achievement.

The Fall is not so much a traditional novel as it is an in-depth exploration of a certain spiritual or philosophical narrative and truth. The narrator, a self-proclaimed judge, spares no details in revealing his highly narcissistic love for himself. This very trait allows him to feel free to judge humanity, while ironically also judging himself and yet seemingly liberated from the burden of being judged. He has fallen into a state where he no longer seems to care about the depravity of depravity, which is essentially what the novel The Fall delves into.

The finer nuances of the novel are evident in the small quotes within the narrative. This is an interesting aspect of the novel. The narrative is, in a way, almost a fourth-wall-breaking stream of consciousness, as if the narrator is pouring out all his thoughts in a tumultuous flow. It is only when he interjects with directions to the reader that one realizes this is a stream of writing aimed at the individual in a sort of accusation. 'You lead me into this depravity', the penitent judge seems to directly accuse the reader, 'You led me into the fall, for all humanity is fallen.' It is perhaps important to note that uniquely, The Fall is written in the Second Person, a rare writing technique in fiction.

It has been brought to my attention that the concept of 'the fall' stems from a particular bridge scene that I had initially overlooked as relatively unimportant. This scene, hidden amidst all the rambling, shows the main character transitioning from being likeable to completely arrogant and back again. In this scene, a woman jumps from a bridge into a river, and our 'penitent judge' fails to rescue her. This despite the narrator's many claims of his heroic potential, thus highlighting his contradictory nature. Moreover, this emphasizes what we all can be: contradictions who say one thing and do another - hypocrites.

As an entertaining work of fiction, I would not recommend Albert Camus' The Fall. It is fragmented and messy, not at all an easy read. However, as a work of philosophical and spiritual discussion, I highly recommend it. Camus has the profound ability to reach the reader and make them question their realities, and ask how they have fallen into a state of falsehood and misdirection, wherever that may be possible.

The Anti-Christ

Why does the Judge-penitent address you directly? It's as if he has discovered a kindred spirit within you. In this complex world, responsibility seems boundless, and that's precisely why The Fall appears inevitable, even for a Christ. But in the past, Christ made an error. He witnessed (or perhaps was) the nausea of the world, saw (or was) the complete guilt of every man (including his own), and decided to redeem mankind (himself) by setting a supreme example. He sacrificed himself because he felt guilty. However, this was merely an example, a call to action, intended to make men recognize and change their way of life. He wanted mankind to see the depravity of their own existence through this magnificent act. But his sacrifice was only self-elevating and couldn't truly elevate man. For man cannot be elevated until he sees the depths in which he currently wallows. And man cannot see his faults when he is looking for heroes. He cannot see himself in Christ. Man cannot see man in the Ideal.

No, the faults had to be revealed through an anti-hero. That's why the prophecy of an anti-christ was our true hope. That's why Christ had to return as the Anti-Christ. The Anti-Christ must be closer to man, able to whisper to him as if he were just another ordinary man. He must be able to make man see himself by looking at him. To make you see yourself as you truly are by seeing in him yourself – yourself after The Fall.

That is precisely why the Judge-penitent addresses you directly. He has found a kindred soul in you.

The Judge-Penitent

You are personally accountable for every fault that exists in the world. And The Fall is the failure to acknowledge your guilt – to withdraw from the world into aestheticism (recall Kierkegaard’s A in Either/Or) and make your life’s central concern one of making yourself feel good about yourself and thus about the world.

By the time Jean-Baptiste’s confession concludes, you should realize that, in fact, the Judge-penitent is you. The story was yours all along. It is time to commence your own confession. It is time to cease being Kierkegaard’s A and become the B. To polarize yourself. It is time to assume responsibility and gaze into the abyss.

Of course, you might allow someone else to take The Fall for you, but from that moment on, you would have to worship him. You would have to worship the guilty. You would have to worship the Judge-Penitent. But in this modern religion, to worship is to laugh at The Fallen.

That is the true role of the modern Christ. To take The Fall for you, so that he becomes the mirror in which you perceive the horror of your life.

The Fall

This necessary and continuous fall is the central theme of the novel. It is an unforgiving, vertiginous descent. It is not a story of gradual discovery and ascent as in Sartre’s Nausea. In Nausea, you see the picture that you should be painting of yourself. In The Fall, you see the anti-thesis that you should use as your anti-model, as the one point that gives meaning to your picture by not being painted.

Here, you are continuously made to disagree with a person who is moving closer and closer to that abyss. You are compelled to define yourself in your disagreement, to define yourself as a negation. And by doing so, you are the one who discovers the nausea of such an existence, even as the narrator devises ingenious and pathetic ways to avoid it. And you are the one who moves away from the abyss.

You are the hero of the story, or at least the would-be hero – the one who is going to experience the transformation that will change your world. The polarization occurs outside the novel.

Jean-Baptiste is one of the most powerful anti-heroes in literature, but you never hope for his redemption. Instead, you hope for him to fall and fall – to Fall as horribly and as deeply into the abyss as possible. Because that is the only way to hope for yourself. Because the more he falls, the more you can see what constitutes the abyss, and the further away you get from it. His Fall will save you. Mon cher, he is your personal Christ.

So what do we talk about when we talk about living?

Is it about the very foundations on which our entire outlook towards life has been shaped?

I've heard people claim to spend their lives adhering to a code of conduct, a sort of personal philosophy to guide their lives.

"I love doing this," "I like being there," "this is wrong," "I shouldn't have said that" - countless such incongruous statements.

From where does this venerated point of reference to judge our actions come?

Where lies the line that discerns good from evil, moral from immoral, right from wrong - if there is any at all!

Camus, unlike other existentialists, never views religion as hostile.

The very title is an obvious reference to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve.

Our narrator comes to us as a sinner. He has sinned, or so he thinks.

And as a result, he has fallen from the happy fields into a place where there is no light but darkness visible.

He talks and talks to us, confessing sin after sin over several long evenings.

Why, at this point in his life, has he decided to give words to those unspeakable actions or inactions?

Why does he think there is redemption in confessions?

Clamence is the victim of judgment. His inner self prods him to look beyond the self-centered existentiality.

He has done deeds of good but has never savored the feeling of being good.

He has helped the penurious but without empathy.

He has enjoyed being fabled with a certain aloofness.

He has taken pleasure in women but never loved any!

And now he comes to us as a sinner, craving to be heard and redeemed.

He is exhausted from being a mere spectator on the stage of life.

He seeks hope in reclamation, but there is no hope in the regions of sorrow, in the doleful shades where peace and rest can never dwell.

Hope never comes that comes to all, but there is only torture without end!

In the light of this work of genius and brevity, I am left both bewildered and convinced.

Was Camus tired of those existential refrains he preached so dearly in his works?

Because later, while criticizing this school of philosophy and addressing Sartre, what he said is of great importance.

"Far from leading to a decent solution of the problem of freedom versus authority, [existentialism can only lead] to servitude."

A little conclusive, isn't it?

The story is about a scoundrel with a good appearance but a bad game.

He is an avowed egoist of the tiniest flaw, full of vanity and self-love, yet trying to look like a good person. When there are no onlookers around, he will not offer help to those in need. And his repentance is not true repentance, and life is absurd.

The title of the story reflects not only the physical fall of the suicide but also the moral fall of an entire generation. Albert Camus firmly believes in the definition that man is a two-faced creature that cannot love without loving itself. But is Jean-Baptiste Clamence a finished man? Perhaps. And perhaps there is still a chance to change. After all, he still hears the voice of conscience.

Unfortunately, it has to be stated that our generation is also a generation of egoists, self-lovers, poseurs, lovers of playing to the public, gathering likes and making an impression. There are not a few such people among politicians and public figures who engage in "noble" deeds - donations, charity, environmental protection, various social and cultural activities - in public and with wide media or social network coverage, while at the same time engaging in business or making decisions that destroy the environment, impoverish the local population or kill the cultures of small nations. But the judge will always be conscience, which cannot be bought, in any era.

And yet, the fall... The author I'm interested in is Mr. Albert Camus (you don't confuse Albert Camus with Franz Kafka, do you?). This book really engages a person. It's not like you read the book, put it on the shelf, and pick up another one. In the end, it seems like your heart wants to read it again. You say to yourself, "Be patient and see what he said? What happened?" There also seems to be a place that defines itself and then throws reality like a shell on your face.

Camus' works have a unique charm. His exploration of the human condition and the absurdity of life is both profound and thought-provoking. The way he presents his ideas makes the reader constantly question and reflect.

Reading Camus is not just an intellectual exercise but an emotional journey as well. His words have the power to touch the deepest parts of our souls and make us see the world in a different light.

Whether it's "The Stranger" or other works, Camus always manages to leave a lasting impression on the reader. His writing style is简洁明了 yet充满力量, making his ideas accessible to a wide range of readers.

In conclusion, Albert Camus is a remarkable author whose works deserve to be read and studied. His insights into the human experience are timeless and continue to resonate with readers today.

This book really took me by surprise.

I didn't expect it to be so good, but I really liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

The successful lawyer, who appears to be an extraordinary, flawless, and charming person on the surface, but is actually full of duplicity and fraud.

He is a good example of most of us humans.

We often present a certain image to the world, but inside, we may have our own hidden flaws and secrets.

This book makes me think about how we should be more honest with ourselves and others, and not be deceived by appearances.

It also shows that no one is perfect, and we should accept our own imperfections and try to improve ourselves.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to others.

What should I say first about this book... It is simply a MASTERPIECE that I personally think all people should read once in their lives!

The Clamence is the hero who holds the truth, the truth that no one is ready to accept or endure...

His monologue is the monologue of an ordinary person, an everyday human being. Perhaps a confession...

Yet it is full of sharp "scribbles" that cut across themes such as power, religion, bigotry, love, etc...

The literary language of Camus is almost of an experimental character and although it is the third time I am reading it, I can say that it is a lifetime reading....

The entire review at the Book Club:

http://www.xn--ixauk7au.gr/forum/show...

This book by Albert Camus, "The Fall", is truly a remarkable work. The character of Clamence is complex and thought-provoking. His monologue takes the reader on a journey through his inner thoughts and reflections, touching on many profound aspects of human nature and society. The writing style is unique and engaging, with Camus' use of language adding depth and nuance to the story. Whether you are a fan of philosophy, literature, or simply looking for a good read, "The Fall" is definitely worth your time. It will make you question your own beliefs and values, and perhaps even lead you to a new understanding of yourself and the world around you.

Extraordinary and Peerless

I wanted to select one or at most two sentences from the book text to write in the review, but I couldn't! Everything was good.

The last twenty pages... a fall that takes on its ultimate form... a fall that is discovered.

This is definitely the best work I've read from Camus.

If I have the opportunity and if I live long enough, I will definitely read it again and several times.

The Unexpected Fall of a Masterpiece! Camus presents many philosophical and ethical issues in an engaging language of a lawyer, stating that reading it once is not enough. I really liked his views regarding Christianity and religion.

Camus' work is truly a remarkable piece that delves deep into the human condition. His exploration of philosophical and ethical questions is both thought-provoking and profound. The way he uses the language of a lawyer to convey his ideas adds an interesting layer of complexity.

One cannot help but be drawn in by his engaging style. His views on Christianity and religion are particularly fascinating, as they offer a unique perspective. Reading Camus' work is an experience that should not be missed. It challenges our beliefs and makes us think about the world in a different way.

Whether you are a fan of philosophy or simply interested in exploring different ideas, Camus' masterpiece is sure to leave a lasting impression.