User:Cram07734/Summer (Albert Camus)

Summer is an essay by Albert Camus which depicts French Algeria and in particular the city of Oran. It was first published in 1954.

Summary
In this essay, Albert Camus leads us on a tour of all the Mediterranean, starting with his birth-place in Algeria of Oran through the footsteps of the Minotaur, in Alger he passes through Tipaza then to Greece through other myths, those of Prometheus concerning the violence of the modern world or the myth of Helen of Troy and her legendary beauty; then to finish, all the way to the Atlantic for La mer au plus près (The closer sea).

The Sources of Summer
One of the numerous epigraphs is of Charles Baudelaire, which was highlighted by French politician, Roger Quilliot: «Mon âme est un trois-mâts cherchant son Icarie. »

"My Soul is a three-master in search for its Icaria" In Summer, Camus explores themes of Summer being the season which one prepares oneself for the heart of Winter and in the alchemy of Spring. This eternal cycle which goes from sense to nonsense, from yes to no are the themes developed in the essay, L'Envers et l'Endroit. With its numerous stories, this book has, although mixed, a certain unity due to the way it traverses through different ideas. Algeria inspires three of the stories told by Camus; he writes, "I have a long relationship with Algeria which, without doubt, will not finish and prevents me from being completely clear-sighted in this regard." His biting irony results in his combining the youth of Algeria who "walk their shoes on the boulevards", the rivalry between Alger and Oran, and the ugliness of the latter city, which turns its back on the sea.

However, the irony is also able to be serious, for example in the short story L'Énigme (The Enigma) or nostalgic as in Retour à Tipasa (Return to Tipaza) marked with its contrast to his other story, Noces à Tipasa (Wedding at Tipaza). In effect, Tipaza has greatly changed since Wedding at Tipaza, as the town is now closed and surrounded with barbed wire. However, the Winter sun has returned and the Heliotropium flowers have bloomed. Camus' soft spot for the Mediterranean is not solely for Italy, particularly Florence, but also for Greece. The Greeks fought for beauty, that of Helen, and their gods have their weaknesses, a humanity like Empedocles or Prometheus, they are marked with human limits, a central theme of L'Homme révolté (The Revolt of Man).

Editions

 * L'Été, éditions Gallimard, collection Blanche, 1954, réédition Folio, 11/05/2006, 130 pages, ISBN 2070337774

Notes and Refernces
