Used as my classic in translation for the Back to the Classics Challenge.

Oh, Albert Camus. After rediscovering (and obsessing over) Virginia Woolf, I decided to revisit Camus. I had only read The Stranger, and that when I was about 16, so I was due a revisit. What I discovered? That Camus is infinitely better when you're an adult and capable of actually understanding what he's doing. Imagine that!

The Plague is a cheery little novel about a city overtaken by the plague. As the death toll rises, the city is quarantined, and its residents have to find ways to cope with both the disease itself and the psychological effects of isolation. Eventually a kind of plague-time fraternity arises around Dr. Rieux, who was my favorite character and the one with whom I could relate most strongly. I found his struggle to find the right balance between protocol and humanity fascinating.

Of the philosophical novels I've read so far, The Plague is by far my favorite because it succeeds where some philosophical novels fail: It actually functions as a novel! The characters do more than serve as cardboard props that carry out the author's ideas! The plot is entertaining! Which of course makes perfect sense, coming from athletic, sunny Camus. His philosophy contains plenty of seriousness and opportunity for despair, but he also knew how to have fun.