Albert Camus in New York

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Glimpse into the Life of a Fascinating Man
Review: Herbert Lottman is the most loving and I believe the most authoritative of all students of Albert Camus. This short book is a treasure for anyone who cares about Camus' literature. If you are serious about Camus, you should read this book as well as Lottman's excellent biography of Camus, which was the groundbreaking work in all Camus scholarship and remains the best Camus biography.

Lottman's work on Camus has not been as well received as one might hope, and that is a great shame. Ironically, I think his reception by Camus scholars mirrors the incivility which the French elite reserved for Camus himself. I think the treatment both men received from the literati is explained by the fact that they are both outsiders. Neither man was a French native (Camus was an Algerian of French-Spanish descent and Lottman is an American expatriate living in Paris) and neither was a professional academic (Camus was a newspaper editor, a novelist, and a man of the theater, while Lottman is a journalist). It seems that the elite are simply never willing to admit any reason to listen to an outsider, no matter how worthy that person might be. That is so at least in retrospect, anyway; I think that as time passes the elite will recognize Lottman's greatness, just as, with time, they recognized the greatness of Camus.

Anyway, this book is a touching, very readable glimpse into the life of a fascinating man, by an author who himself clearly loves Camus and has taken great pains to paint him truthfully.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Glimpse into the Life of a Fascinating Man
Review: Herbert Lottman is the most loving and I believe the most authoritative of all students of Albert Camus. This short book is a treasure for anyone who cares about Camus' literature. If you are serious about Camus, you should read this book as well as Lottman's excellent biography of Camus, which was the groundbreaking work in all Camus scholarship and remains the best Camus biography.

Lottman's work on Camus has not been as well received as one might hope, and that is a great shame. Ironically, I think his reception by Camus scholars mirrors the incivility which the French elite reserved for Camus himself. I think the treatment both men received from the literati is explained by the fact that they are both outsiders. Neither man was a French native (Camus was an Algerian of French-Spanish descent and Lottman is an American expatriate living in Paris) and neither was a professional academic (Camus was a newspaper editor, a novelist, and a man of the theater, while Lottman is a journalist). It seems that the elite are simply never willing to admit any reason to listen to an outsider, no matter how worthy that person might be. That is so at least in retrospect, anyway; I think that as time passes the elite will recognize Lottman's greatness, just as, with time, they recognized the greatness of Camus.

Anyway, this book is a touching, very readable glimpse into the life of a fascinating man, by an author who himself clearly loves Camus and has taken great pains to paint him truthfully.