Existentialism and Albert Camu’s Novel "Pest"

The 20-th century was full of great and even tragic events and therefore several Western writers turned to the existentialism philosophy. Existentialists think that the man is alone and alienated in the world. According to this philosophy life has neither purpose nor sense. Nevertheless the man himself must choose how to live. This choice is “free”. It is not determined either by morality or objective regularity of life. Some existentialists think that the man must do his duty till the end even if he knows that he will lose the battle.

In French literature the understanding of such a duty is depicted in the novel “Pest” by Albert Camus.

Albert Camus was born in November 7, 1913 in Algeria. His father was a clerk who had to supervise wine export to France. Albert did not have the luck to see his father because he was enlisted in the army at the beginning of the World War I. In the first battle at the Marna river Albert’s father was seriously wounded and in November 1914. he died.
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