L’étranger
by Albert Camus · first published 1942
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A short, colloquial novel about a man who tells only the truth and refuses social pretence. It is relatable and thought-provoking, and readable even in French.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
L'Étranger est le premier roman publié d’Albert Camus, paru en 1942. Il prend place dans la tétralogie que Camus nommera « cycle de l’absurde » qui décrit les fondements de la philosophie camusienne : l’absurde. Le roman a été traduit en soixante-huit langues.
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How about some real books? - Narziss & Goldmund, by Herman Hesse - One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marques - Crime and Punishment, by Dostoievsky - The Trial, by Kafka - L'étranger, by Albert Camus If you want to build your character, read the real stuff: fiction.
on “5 Great Books to Build Your Character” ↗The Stranger (L’Étranger) by Albert Camus is an excellent novel. I'm sure many HNers can relate to the main character.
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗I think you were being gently mocked for your spelling there. (Read L'Étranger, it's great!)
on “David Bowie’s Top 100 Books (2013)” ↗Additionally I've got a lot out of: The Old Man and the Sea - Hemmingway L'Etranger - Camus The Castle / The Trial - Kafka
on “Ask HN: Books worth reading multiple times?” ↗I was amused to see "The Outsider" and "The Stranger" as two books by Albert Camus, though "The Outsider" seems to link to novels by Colin Wilson and Stephen King. "L'Étranger" is a good book and not too hard to read in French because it's written in a colloquial style, or you could read one of the many translations: at least four just in English. There are a lot of books in that list that I like
on “List of books that will induce a mindfuck” ↗The Outsider (L'Étranger) will give you something to think about. Camus' idea with this novel was to see what would happen to a character who went through life only telling the truth.
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗Heart of darkness is very short and fits into those great books like L'Etranger and the Old Man and the Sea that can be usefully read in an afternoon and give back way more than they demand from you. Republic is quite long but very approachable and I really enjoyed it. Again the…
on “Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?” ↗…I could read the books (where the original was in French) in their native language, and she could hardly refuse such a reasonable and intellectually curious request! So anyway I read Madame Bovary and L'Etranger and a few other older books whose titles escape me). And on the more modern side, I could read French newspapers quite well too. But at no point could I ever reliably make out more than the gist of…
on “How I learned French in 12 months (2020)” ↗Going further - how many great (or at least enjoyable) books or films are the ruminations and self-analysis of a lone individual? Camus' L'Etranger almost qualifies, except it depicts events involving multiple people, even if it never speculates on the motivations of the other characters. Honesty is not enough. I think Blow is more naive than he,…
on “The Most Dangerous Gamer” ↗…suddenly became designated for sketching and doodling (at the height of deviantArt's power). I don't think I finished a single class-read novel in high school; hated Wuthering Heights and beloved (on vibes) L'Etranger alike are a blur. (Still aced the AP exams.) I knew it was really over when I had to drop a classical literature course in college because I couldn't keep up with the readings. I've a few dozen unfinished…
on “De-Brainrot Vacations” ↗