The Fall by Albert Camus is a book-length soliloquy by a French judge penitent in an Amsterdam bar, confessing to a fellow Frenchman his fall from grace due to growing disenchantment with himself and society. The narrative delves deep into themes of guilt, hypocrisy, selflessness, and the realization of one's true nature, providing a powerful treatise on judgment, truth, and humanity. Through a series of monologues, the protagonist's transformation from a self-absorbed lawyer to a reflective recluse is explored, revealing the dark truths about human nature and the struggle with one's own morality.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of moral nihilism, guilt, existential despair, and references to suicide.
From The Publisher:
'An irresistibly brilliant examination of modern conscience' The New York Times
Jean-Baptiste Clamence is a soul in turmoil. Over several drunken nights in an Amsterdam bar, he regales a chance acquaintance with his story. From this successful former lawyer and seemingly model citizen a compelling, self-loathing catalogue of guilt, hypocrisy and alienation pours forth. The Fall (1956) is a brilliant portrayal of a man who has glimpsed the hollowness of his existence. But beyond depicting one man's disillusionment, Camus's novel exposes the universal human condition and its absurdities - for our innocence that, once lost, can never be recaptured ...
'Camus is the accused, his own prosecutor and advocate. The Fall might have been called "The Last Judgement" '
Olivier Todd
Ratings (26)
Incredible (5) | |
Loved It (13) | |
Liked It (5) | |
It Was OK (1) | |
Did Not Like (1) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (70):
Read It (27) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (38) | |
Not Interested (4) |
2 comment(s)
I really did like this novel I just don't know how to talk about it, which is strange as I almost has something to say. I enjoyed the audio book but it's not a story I will cary around in my mind.
Although
The Fall is easier to read than
The Stranger,
The Stranger feels easier to digest.
The Fall is an examination of related themes. The narrator notes the tension between self-awareness and self-criticism while warning about the dangers of judging others. He also posits that people judge others to avoid judging themselves.
I’m not certain what to make of
The Fall, but I enjoyed reading it.
What can you read after
The Fall?
About the Author:
Born in Algeria in 1913, Albert Camus published The Stranger- now one of the most widely read novels of this century- in 1942. Celebrated in intellectual circles, Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. On January 4, 1960, he was killed in a car accident.
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