Hating Albert Camus is hard to do.

 Hating Albert Camus is hard to do.

Qualia Journal

I run a web-based critics group named Shirasu Front Row, inspired by the BBC radio 4 program Front Row.

Yesterday we discussed Albert Camus's last and unfinished autobiographical novel, The First Man. Participants generally gave rave reviews. The vivid and sensual recollections of a boyhood, the longing for a father who died in the war, family members helping each other in poverty, and a kind teacher who opened the door to a wider world. Camus's writing is deeply moving and humane. 

The critical consensus was that The First Man was a masterpiece, except for, one participant, whom I nam
e here Mr. C.

Mr. C opined that he could not stand Camus's narcissism. We did not quite understand Mr.C, but there must be some deeply rooted reasons for hating Camus. Last year, when we discussed Camus's another masterpiece, The Fall, Mr. C gave 10 points out of 100. For The First Man, Mr.C gave just 9 out of 100.

We were all puzzled by Mr. C's hatred. Hating Albert Camus is hard to do. There must be something between Albert Camus and Mr. C.

By the way, if you divide humans into 10 groups, Mr.C looks like Albert Camus. They belong to the same group.