Albert Camus' "A Happy Death" (Edited Edition)

Roy Sedgwick: The book arrived in excellent condition and within 2 days. Its early Camu, and perhaps a watered down version of what we read in his later novel The Stranger, though the protagonists are the same. Anyone studying early modernist writing should read this.

United Kingdom on Sep 21, 2023

Cal Lefty: This was more a novella than a novel. Interesting story that is similar to The Stranger.

United States on Sep 03, 2023

matteo: poche pagine ma molto bello. Ottimo per chi non ha molto tempo da dedicare alla lettura di grandi tomi

Italy on Jun 16, 2023

James richie gemmill: Not as good as the Outsider, enjoyable profound imagery and an entice central character , would recommend to a fan of Camus

United Kingdom on Aug 28, 2021

Xxxxx: I've read most of Camus' works. This has some good themes and atmosphere. It was first published in 1973, thirteen years after his death. It was an early work and described in the blurb as in many ways a precursor to L'Etranger. There are some passages that reappear in L'Etranger in similar form, but they are trivial and the two characters are not the same person, so it is slightly annoying that they are named Mersault and Meursault. This book has a third person narrator, whereas L'Etranger has first person. The plots are very different. Well worth reading, with the expected thought - provoking ideas.

United Kingdom on Oct 26, 2020

Amazon Customer: This book is all over the place, but I don't read Camus for coherency. I read Camus to get into a Camusian state of mind, to see things as meaninglessly as he does. Mersault lives for nothing; he appreciates the night and the sea, but knows they're meaningless too. He lives and meets death with open hands, because it too is meaningless, and that only makes his life more free and beautiful. This book was not meant to be published, which allowed Camus to be less organized, but also less reserved, and provides another rare opportunity to glimpse into the ways of the absurd man who is detached from life and lives for nothing, and that is enough to happily fill his heart, at the cost of unrelenting effort to will consciousness and lucidity.

United States on Mar 09, 2018

chelsea mccarty: This book, published after Camus's untimely death, has been alleged to be an early edition of THE STRANGER. A HAPPY DEATH is a longer read than THE STRANGER, but goes into a lot more depth as the main character undergoes an existential journey. Once the novel concludes, it is immediately apparent why it was titled as so. I won't give any spoilers, but I highly suggest the book to lovers of Camus or anyone interested in various dogma's of existentialism. This book seems to imply that life is about finding your own happiness, of course without reading like a self-help/inspirational book. Camus is an outstanding writer and one of my personal favorites.

United States on Feb 22, 2016

ReviewMonkey: This book is really good. It serves as a precursor to arguably, his most famous work: The Outsider. Exploring similar themes such as, existentialism, life and dealing with death. The book is very engaging, in that the character experiments with different ways of life and thus changing settings. Camus' description of Algiers is excellent and his ability to get inside the narrator's head is exceptional. As this was an early, unfinished work it can feel a bit choppy and you can see why he revised this story into what would become The Outsider. However, it is an excellent novel. Would definitely recommend for fans of Camus.

United Kingdom on Aug 21, 2015

Joey: Camus reveals a lot about his actual life and his earlier thinking in this book. It is astonishing that this book was one of the first books he had ever written and yet it is executed as if he had written it in his later years. The story, while choppy and jumps from one place to another, is still an easy ready and the characters are believable. It is, however, hard to have sympathy for any of the characters including the protagonist.

This is important because this book has a lot in common with The Stranger. In the The Stranger one does feel some sympathy towards the protagonist as towards the very end when he has his awakening but is about to meet his end. In this story the protagonist has a similar fate but you do not feel as sympathetic towards the protagonist.

In all, I would recommend reading this book before you read The Stranger. If you have already read The Stranger then you will for sure want to pick up this book to see the evolution of Camus' ideas lead up to that classic novel.

United States on Jun 02, 2013

Jon Linden: Camus' book "A Happy Death" was never published in his lifetime. Camus was very specific and deliberate as to when he would publish what. This novel, the first written by Camus, has been published after being reclaimed from his papers.
The question that comes to mind then, is "Why did Camus never publish this work?" It seems that the book was a transitional writing for Camus. It allowed him to move forward from the life he had always thought about, to the life he believed he lived in, that being an "existential" existence.
In reading the book, one finds that Mersault, the protagonist, seems to have too many moments of happiness as compared to other protagonists in Camus' other publications. This in fact, is probably an autobiographical reflection of Camus' early life, and the book, a work to allow him to metamorphosize, transform his vision into what came next, "The Stranger."
The beauty of the novel is recognizing this transition and then, with such recognition, comes the ability to apply those thought patterns and feelings to Camus' later works, seeing how he transformed from a "regular" human being, to an "existentialist" one who has the feeling of being unique, and...

United States on Oct 21, 2003