’50 Novels’ #1: The Plague by Albert Camus

Following on from the announcement of my 50 Novels in One Year challenge, I thought I should reveal the first title which I began reading on Wednesday as part of the challenge: The Plague by Albert Camus. I’m close to half-way through (page 91) and I’m finding it a delight to read.

For those who don’t know, The Plague is a 1947 novel set in the French governed Algerian coastal town of Oran in 1940, which succumbs to the sudden and unexpected arrival of the plague. Circumstances lead quickly to the town being quarantined and shut off completely from the outside world. Once Oran’s isolation is established the book focuses on a small number of key residents (and a visiting Parisian journalist) who find themselves trapped under the overbearing presence of the plague, struggling with survival, death, isolation and the absence of loved ones trapped outside the town.

The Plague is certainly graphic in content and it brings to life the horrifying symptoms of the disease I remember a factual description of the plague in Florence being made by Boccaccio, at the outset of his novel: The Decameron (this is a link to an electronic extract), and Camus’ graphic descriptions are at least on a par with this.

Although The Plague could be read solely as a tale of people fighting to survive the virulence of pestilence (and a great story it makes), Camus’ novel is actually an allegorical tale linked to the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. When one bears that in mind, the subtlety of comparision peeks through the prose, making you read between the lines a bit more, and showing a genius side to Camus. However I’ll speak about that more once I’ve finished the book.