The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt (Vintage International)

Great book for everyone. Nicely produced.

If your like me...and if this modern time and age we live in is building your hunger and thirst for Real Concrete Knowledge at a frightening Pace...... Consider this essay a Breakfast of Champions. From the start it will give you an Idea more less a Reality Check on yourself that not only applies to you and your life no matter how good or bad it is; but also speaks to the entire population on a Global scale. Brilliantly written and composed very well for the reader to dive into these ideas and concepts. A perfect illumination on some of the deeper workings of the Human ways of Thinking, Feeling and Evolving. Unorthodox and in a sense a little scary if you can grip the Very Real message the author displays and confronts. in my opinion this book brings Substance and Practical thought to the Intuitive triggers we All get in times of Desperation and Rebellion. I can easily give this a 10 star rating if you ask me, Its Easy, Intellectually and Intuitively Stimulating, yet Educational and Based on Concrete Fact as it touches on a bit of History and Historical Figures. Read it from Cover to Cover....Simply a Good way to spend 5 hours.

This is a really fine work. The essays trace the development of rebellion in the twentieth century and show how the rejection of God, nihilism, and power lead us to terror. His readings of Sade, Nietzsche, and others are deft and insightful. His prescription for a careful solidarity, and for thinking through where and how we draw boundaries is timely. Camus asks us not to draw boundaries to exclude and create the "other," but to mark spaces of value. Great stuff!

Albert Camus is known mostly for his novels which investigate human existence – that is, existentialism as a philosophy. His characters question whether there is meaning in human life or not at all (nihilism). This work, however, is not a work of fiction but of non-fiction. In it, Camus expounds on the nature of human rebellion against the present state of affairs – that is, against the meaninglessness of life. He examines this rebellious act historically and spiritually, from Christianity and the French Revolution all the way up to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Writing after Europe twice almost killed itself in horrific wars, Camus tries to explain how such an “enlightened” continent could almost implode in what was supposed to be a glorious twentieth century. He writes how rebellion, however well-intentioned, can often go awry and turn into nihilism. He writes about how too often, rebels are misguided in their attempts to find the “end” of history (a la Hegel). In its place, he suggests work and human unity ought to occur. This last point, he does vaguely and without specifics – a weakness of his viewpoint. Camus’ examination is very European. (In fact, a deep understanding of European history and literature is almost prerequisite for reading this work.) It is likewise very philosophical. I could only digest in it 20-30 page segments without being too inundated with too many thoughts to process. Unlike his novels (of which I am a huge fan), this pure philosophy lacks the ploys of plot and intrigue to push the reader forward. I doubt that the general reader can access this work. Camus’ views helped shape the post-World-War-II consensus in Western Europe of socialist democracies. For that reason, he deserves to be reckoned with. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and his writings are still standard fare in university coursework. I find his worldview very relevant to twenty-first century life. Fans of philosophy and existentialism will appreciate this work as well as fans of European history. Students of political history might also benefit from this work. Those turned off by the “otherness” of such pursuits (which incorporates much of the American reading public) might choose to read his novels instead.

like it

He makes more noise than heavy metal.

This can be both an easy and difficult read depending on how deeply you'd like to think about Camus' ideas. He is definitely passionate when thinking about the theory of rebellions and revolutions, but you can tell he is different than most philosophers. Instead of an A + B = C approach, Camus is more focused on arguing his points by presenting history. It's a great read and I highly recommend it.

I normally find history to be a complete bore. Camus on the other gives you a few selections of historical revolutions and offers a great philosophical analysis that may give you another perspective on such events. Camus pays much detail to such historical events while offers readers something to think about.

Excellent service

Superbly written, engaging and perhaps even better than "The Myth of Sisyphus", "The Rebel" is an incisive analysis of the human condition and of some of the main events in history that even though started as acts of rebellion, ended in unprecedented oppression and despotism. In the book Camus also alerts for the dangers of justifying one's ideologies and the righteousness of our actions with history, either by using the atrocities committed in the past and/or any Utopian scenario that might act as an end point for any sort of revolution. A great companion to Erns Junger's "The Forest Passage" (published in the same year) and definitely a must read.

Delivered on time

It is a classic and I will review it after reading.

One of, if not the best, single book written by Camus, in my not wholly-well-versed-on-him opinion. I much preferred this to either The Fall, or The Myth of Sisyphus. It's here that he makes more incisive arguments, that rationally bolster, through an historical tracing, our need to confront and overcome Absurdity. Its depth, ease to read, and great sense of moral-direction make this book one that I recommend to everybody.