The Plague: A new translation by Laura Marris

Recent pandemic events inspired by the “novel” coronavirus cried out to me to reread my half-century-old Modern Library edition of The Plague, its black hardbound covers now faded a lusterless gray. By rereading the dog-eared pages of my copy, I hoped also to revisit the torturous thoughts of my lost youth. . I cherished this novel when I first read it 50 years ago, and upon rereading it two years ago I cherished it yet again. Alas, I did find tedious the subplots of the human melodramas enjoyed or endured by the diverse cast of minor characters, notably all male, found quarantined within the walls of this imaginary coastal city of French Algiers. In contrast, the passages about the unifying and ever-present main character, Mademoiselle (notably feminine noun) La Peste, remain brilliant distillations of the literature of existentialism for which the name “Camus” has become synonymous. But here comes a big But. Upon my 2nd reading, I found objectionable the outdated 1948 British translation marred by words and expressions whose meanings now are obscure, especially to Americans. I judged the novel as overdue for an updated American edition. This new American translation published in 2021 is precisely that overdue revision. This new translation prompted me to read the novel a 3rd time. Truly a book for our time, this new translation shines light where the older translation only cast shadows. . Nobly translated by Laura Marris, a poet and writer in her own right, Camus’ prescient novel has been accorded its definitive translation. Appropriately, Ms Marris was translating the novel when she was experiencing our covid lockdown herself. Well worth your pursuit, search online for her own literary criticism of “The Plague” published in 2022 in “The Paris Review.” She duly draws parallels to Camus’ plague and to our own decade’s so-called plague. Future editions of her translation may well include her updated essay as its Foreword.

The plague has taken over the town of Oran, and members of the town are taking it differently. A doctor is on the front lines and comes across various people from different walks of life. Each offers a unique perspective on the plague with how they deal with it. There are a fair number of characters to keep track of, but I never had any issue keeping up. I'm sure many people will compare this with the COVID epidemic, and I can understand why they would. But the book is much more than that. The narrator purposely tries to give different points of view, how different people reacted to the situation and how they coped. It gets philosophical at some points and religious at others. I can't believe this book was written in 1947. It is written so well and the emotions portrayed are relatable today. Characters in this book do not have plot armor, but it's incredibly appropriate for the devastating disease the city is dealing with. Also, this particular translation addressed some liberties taken with a previous one. The changes are mentioned in an afterword, and I feel they were warranted. A good book that still holds up after many years.

Good book.

This is the fifth book by Albert Camus that I have read and my favorite. It is an easier read than some of his other works. As others have written elsewhere, it is a timely read during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Camus' writing about life and how human beings respond to its challenges is also highly applicable to other experiences. This is especially true for the kind of events that are isolating and thereby difficult for others without those experiences to understand as well as circumstances that are overwhelmingly life-changing and unending such that family, friends, and society are unwilling to provide accommodations or other supports. This version includes nice translator's notes at the end that explain an effort to more faithfully represent the exact wording of the original work. The hardback book is nicely printed and bound on thick paper of nice quality. Highly recommended.

I used this English edition to help me read the French original, "La Peste", which I had bought in France a while ago. This English translation is very close to the original French text, to the point where expressions that are uncommon in French have been translated into expressions that are uncommon in English too. But on the other hand, this is really an easy-to-read novel, so there aren't too many uncommon expressions in it. The story itself is written through the perspective of the main characters while they lived through the fictional plague epidemic in their quarantined city, so it is very easy to follow.

Was supposed to be a new book but came with highlighting in it which I found very annoying.

I read this book whilst on vacation, during the same time period my mother read four books, oh how she’d boast to me about her progress. IT TAKES TIME TO READ GOOD BOOKS MOTHER, I tried pleading with her, but her confidence was unshakable. The book was great and reminded me of Jose Saramago “blindness” to be specific. This is by far my favorite translation, but be warned it isn’t so much a fast read; so if reading in company make sure to use a lot of big words when talking about your book so they are reminded of your intellectual prowess

Good read

arrived a bit damaged. an excellent book though