Albert Camus Radio

Dr. Simon Lea, a leading Camus scholar, delves into the complexities of the absurd in Camus' first works. He argues that awareness of the absurd can't resolve moral dilemmas, highlighting the tension between individual lives and life's inherent value. Lea critiques responses to the absurd and discusses how Camus, influenced by Nietzsche, aims for morality without divine authority. He also explores the narratives of Sisyphus and characters like Daru and Meursault, showcasing their struggles and revelations in confronting the absurd.

In this episode you will hear Professor Heffernan of Merrimack College discuss reader response to Meursault inThe Stranger. Dr. Heffernan will take you on a tour of his previous work on The Stranger and then engage in a discussion of the reading of Meursault as a character in Camus' work.This episode is the last in the series bringing you the addresses give to The Albert Camus Society in 2023 held in Krakow, Poland.

In this episode Dr. Simon Lea gives us a fascinating look into not only the idea of myth philosophically and in Camus' works specifically, he makes several groundbreaking connections to Nietzsche. Enjoy!

In this address Dr. Eric Berg presents a challenging reading of the often-venerated Dr. Rieux of The Plague. Dr. Berg makes the case that we should morally and professionally re-evaluate Dr. Rieux in light of his findings. This address and following publication in The Journal of Camus Studies should stimulate our conventional view of Dr. RIeux.Enjoy!

Here we have the first in a series of episodes from the annual meeting of the Albert Camus Society. These addresses took place in November of 2023 in Krakow Poland. In this episode you will hear a world class expert on Camus make some interesting and innovative connections between Albert Camus and James Baldwin. Enjoy.

Here I chat briefly about the upcoming fourth season of Albert Camus Radio, review the 2023 meeting of the Albert Camus Society, and preview the 2024 meeting taking place in London in mid-November.

Peter Francev: ‘Gushing Over Nature, or Janine’s Sexual Exhibitionism’Abstract: For the past few years, I have been interested in the topic of Albert Camus and empathyand, rightfully so, as I am currently writing a monograph on the subject, it makes sense that I wouldbe interested in such a subject. However, for as long as I have been formally and informally studyingCamus (which is surpassing 25 years), I have always been plagued (no pun intended) by the seeminglyhard-lined interpretation that the protagonist of one of Camus’s most recognizable short stories ‘TheAdulterous Woman’, Janine has been largely contextualized as an unhappily married woman to herhusband Marcel and has an ‘affair’ of sorts that is anything but sexual. In this paper, I plan to quicklyexamine what previous scholars have said about Janine, her mental state of mind and her supposedlyadulterous actions, before I offer what seems to me a rather conventional and entirely plausible readingand interpretation of the short story, including Janine’s indeed adulterous actions. And this is not tosay that Janine cannot be linked to previous Camusian characters who are both female and aware oftheir sexuality, namely Marie from The Stranger.

In this episode I review the December 2022 publication of States of Plague: Reading Camus in a Pandemic by Alice Kaplan and Laura Marris, published by The University of Chicago Press. Enjoy!

A review of a book that is very hard to find: Albert Camus and the Men of Stone from 1971. It is a series of illuminating interviews of men who worked with Camus as coy editors, editors, printers, and typesetters.Enjoy! 

A review by Dr. Berg of a new (2022) important book for the English reading audience. 34 lectures and speeches written by Camus on many important topics.Enjoy!