The First Man

Camus tells the story of Jacques Cormery, a boy who lived a life much like his own. Camus summons up the sights, sounds and textures of a childhood circumscribed by poverty and a fathers death yet redeemed by the austere beauty of Algeria and the boys attachment to his nearly deaf-mute mother. Published thirty-five years after its discovery amid the wreckage of the car accident that killed Camus,?ÿThe First Man?ÿis the brilliant consummation of the life and work of one of the 20th centurys greatest novelists. Translated from the French by David Hapgood.

“The First Man?ÿis perhaps the most honest book Camus ever wrote, and the most sensual…Camus is…writing at the depth of his powers…It is a work of genius.”–The New Yorker

“Fascinating…The First Man?ÿhelps put all of Camuss work into a clearer perspective and brings into relief what separates him from the more militant literary personalities of his day…Camuss voice has never been more personal.”–New York Times Book Review