The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays Paperback – May 7, 1991

Not everyone is inclined to navel lintgazing. Nor is everyone up for the level of effort necessary to gain any type of understanding of Camus' writings either. That doesn't mean the effort should not be made though! I avoided Camus for years, until a reference at work (hostage negotiation) made me realize that Camus' work was an essential element for my toolbox - namely being able to agree with folks about the absurdity of life, have a story to tell (Sysyphus) and a general explanation how one of the "great philosophers" worked through it. At times like that, you would be amazed at what kind of attention folks pay!I read the work at least five times through, and I can say that each time I read it, I bring a bit more away. His writing is very rich and dense. No sentence can be passed over - and that sucks if your a lazy reader!!! But... at the end of the effort, the results are worth it. You have another take on the whole "Is life, is the effort worth it?" I'll leave that for you to decide, but I do heartily recommend this book!Interesting side thought - compare the worldly Camus with the rugged individualists across the pond (Emerson, Thoreau, and all the Transcendentalists) with their eternal optimism. Comments welcome! :)All the best,Jay

There generally is an opinion that early twentieth century French Philosophy, particularly Existentialism, promotes a negative, unhappy existence that should be just put up with until one dies. This couldn't be further from the truth, and a wonderful introduction to French Existentialism, and to its positive message is Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus.Camus promotes a very particular definition of The Absurd and this is the crux of his essay. The Absurd is neither a particular thing in reality, a judgement of reality, or a perspective of human thinking. The Absurd is that which arises when an individual becomes aware of the limits of his expectations to either understand the world or fulfill his goals of any notion of the Absolute (God, Truth, Freedom, Love). This is not a case for pessimism or renunciation. This is not a case for misery. Camus is attempting to express the sheer strength of one's being to face his natural limits and the worlds lack of intentionality or consideration for us. We, by nature are Rational creatures, hence we see the world Rationally and look for meaning and predictability to put are fears aside and to no longer feel like strangers in the World. But the world is not Rational, but Non-Rational, and eventually are expectations and pursuits will run into the wall of disappointment. the question is, once we realize that lack of ability to ever be certain, how will we respond?A great example Camus puts forth as an example of an Absurd person is the famous fictional character Don Quixote. Don Quixote loves many women, not one. He travels from place to place, ever searching, ever failing. Some may interpret him as a womanizer, as a fraud, as a man without morals or intent. They could be right. but, if Camus' interpretation is taken seriously, and is true, not only is Don Quixote a man with morals, he has the utmost moral character and is not a fraud. The Absurd person is one that CONSTANTLY fails to achieve absolute goals because they DO NOT EXIST. But, he has to be continuously reminded of this, as The Absurd comes into existence when a person becomes consciously aware, and this awareness only arises AFTER someone pursues an impossible goal, runs into that wall, and realizes his failure. Don Quixote is not a charlatan or womanizer but a man who truly loves. He continuously pursues that Ultimate Love that exists only in his mind. But, when he recognizes his failure, he doesn't fall to pieces and cry, he doesn't lose his head. He smiles and says, "Of course it isn't, how silly!" and continues on with his life.Camus begins the essay saying that the first, most important philosophical question is suicide. Without ultimate meaning, without an absolute Truth, why not end it all now? But, you see, there is still joy, there is still laughter, there is still art and beauty, there is still positive action and good conversation, there is delicious food and wonderful wine, and there is, as Don Quixote knows, another woman to love. Life does not lose is appeal because of the loss of the Ultimate.In fact, it earns its appeal for the first time.Camus' philosophy taps into and actually revives issues about meaning, life and honesty with one's situation that have been discussed since ancient times that overlaps the Ancient Greeks, the Stoics, and Buddhism. He is not some rebellious French philosopher with a quirky obsession with death, but is, in fact, a man consumed by life and all that it holds.

The ideas in this are phenomenal, dealing with the issues of existence in an absurd world to the point of questioning how an individual can value their own existence. Highly recommend for the ideas. Camus seems to get lost in his own command of the language from time to time, but if you just skip about half a paragraph ahead, he gets back to whatever point he was making. It's a little distracting, actually. Ergo, four stars. I have a poster of Nietzche over my desk with the quote "the most common form of human stupidity is forgetting what one is trying to do." (side note: I'm in the military), and every time Camus goes on an obfuscating side trip, I just chuckle and think about Nietzche yelling at him. I've been told not to read existentialists at work, that it's bad for morale. And I can buy that. I mean facing the endless bureucratic nightmare that is the military while simultaneously dealing with death in an absurd world is hard enough as it is. But actually pointing the meaninglessness of it all out? Apparently it's against the rules.

This is very good effort from Camus in trying to systematize his absurd view of reality, previously explored in a less direct way in "The Stranger". The main essay, "The Myth of Sisyphus", opens with a discussion of what should be, in his view, the real philosophical question: should we commit suicide in a world devoid of true meaning, where death will eventually make all human effort irrelevant? He opens this essay by exposing the problems posed by the absurd condition of men, that is, that it behaves as if he is immortal and life has a meaning in a universe that doesn’t seem to have one. Then he explores how other philosophers and literary works have dealt with this question and finishes with his mythological interpretation of such predicament: the eponymous myth of Sisyphus, a man condemned by the gods to roll a boulder uphill to eternity, never finishing his task.The book also includes five short essays on themes like the passage of time, the changes in perspective as one ages, and the paradox created by the average citizens living intensely in a “hopeless” country like his native Algeria (as a Brazilian this rang a bell). The last essay, "The Artist and his time", Camus positions himself in the political debate of the age, with a very critical view of the stance of the artists of his time in pursing political agendas and supporting the oppressive soviet regimes in name of a “higher good” (a focus on an “ideal men” rather than the “real men”, as he puts it).Regarding his interpretation of the absurd and his answer to it, I largely agree with his take on how we should approach life given its inherent lack of absolute meaning, but I wonder how much my agreement derives from the coherence of his arguments and how much they simply agree with my previously held views. One should rebel against our “condition”, according to Camus, by living life to its fullest and not squandering the limited time we have, making our own values and meaning of life (Sisyphus being condemned to roll the boulder uphill but not to suffer while doing it). This, in a sense, is what truly allows us to be “free”, rather than having a predefined meaning to life. The problem, he argues, is that most people would rather sacrifice freedom for meaning or “immortality” (thus the famous concept of humanity being “condemned to freedom”).My criticism of this book is concerning the exposition of others’ ideas by Camus. Every segment he seeks to explain the interpretation of others gets dull and confusing, in part maybe due to the arid aspect of such themes. While I loved "The Stranger" and liked this book overall, with its explanations of the concepts mixed with literary criticism and fictionalized segments, I prefer the “Camus author” than the “Camus philosophy professor” if indeed they can be separated.

When faced with the silence and indifference of the universe, its up to oneself to define what a meaningful life is.

This is a review for this particular edition of the book, not its content. Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays by Grapevine Publishers includes Myth of Sisyphus and 5 other essays by Albert Camus. I bought the book without knowing which other essays would be included. I couldn't find the information anywhere.The 5 other essays included are - Summer in Algiers, The Minotaur or the Stop in Oran, Helen's Exile, Return to Tipasa, and The Artist and His Time. These are the same essays included in the Penguin Modern Classics edition (ISBN-13 : ‎978-0141182001). The translation is also the same as in the Penguin (by Justin O' Brian). What's missing is the Introduction and the notes (which are included on the pages in the Penguin edition). The formatting isn't that great in the Grapevine edition and the spacing is a little congested. The Grapevine edition is cheaper.So overall, if one doesn't mind the non-inclusion of the introduction and notes, this is a good alternative to the Penguin Modern Classics version. And also to the Penguin Great Ideas ideas edition (ISBN-13 : ‎978-0141023991), which is cheaper than the Modern Classics version and only includes the Myth of Sisyphus and notes, but doesn't include the introduction or the other essays.

This isn't a comment on the book itself, just a warning: Don't bother with this Kindle version. It's rife with typos, random additional words and formatting errors, makes for an unpleasant reading experience.

The cover is somewhat plasticized so it is not a simple paperback and seems to be more durable than what you would expect of a paperback.