Camus

Saya belum sempat menghabiskan Plague walau The Outsider, sebuah novel nipis, senang dihadam. Di awal dan hujung buku ini (sudah diterjemahkan kepada bahasa Melayu), walau ada sisi-sisi menarik, tetapi tetap membosan. Lebih asyik membaca Jean Paul Sartre The Age of Reason.

Dengan segala kesuntukan masa saya, di sini saya turunkan sedikit wawancara dengan anak Camus, Catherine, berhubung manuskrip novel beliau The First Man yang gagal disiapkan menjelang kematian tokoh pemikir politik dan sasterawan ini dalam satu kecelakaan jalan raya.

Soalan (majalah Spike): Since The First Man deals with Camus' birth and childhood in Algeria, it seems strange that Camus' deep personal involvement with the Algerian nationalist crisis tends to get overlooked in the traditional portrayal of him as a French writer. Do you think The First Man will re-emphasise the importance of Algeria in our consideration of Camus?

Catherine: I hope so. Camus' was born in Algeria of French nationality, and was assimilated into the French colony, although the French colonists rejected him absolutely because of his poverty. Politically, he was in favour of a federation, and effectively he considered that like South Africa today (or as they are trying to do), there should be a mixed population with equal rights, the same rights for the Arab and the French populations, as well as all the other races living there.

Teks lengkap di sini.