The First Man by Albert Camus (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of The First Man with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of The First Man by Albert Camus, which tells the true story of the father he never knew and his search to discover what sort of man he had been, in order to find himself. The incomplete manuscript was found in the mud following Camus’s fatal car crash in 1960, and was later published by his daughter. Some consider it a true masterpiece thanks to its detailed descriptions and honest representation of childhood, and it was adapted for film in 2011. Camus was the second-youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature and is still considered one of the greatest French writers of the 20th century.  

Find out everything you need to know about The First Man in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Nov 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9782806281043

Book preview

French writer, playwright, essayist and philosopher

Born in Mondovi (Algeria) in 1913

Died in Villeblevin (France) in 1960

Notable works:

The Stranger (1942), novel

The Myth of Sisyphus (1942), essay

The Plague (1947), novel

Albert Camus (1913-1960), a Frenchman born in Algeria and the winner of a Nobel Prize in Literature, was one of the major writers of the 20th century. He was a profoundly committed intellectual, a philosopher, a journalist, a playwright and a novelist, and left his mark through his reflection on the Absurd, which found a nuanced, sensitive and humanist expression in his work.

Camus, who was widely admired and sometimes criticised, resonated considerably across the world with his novels The Plague (1947) and, above all, The Stranger (1942). He died prematurely in 1960 following a car accident.

A child in search of an absent father

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