L'Etranger

Leland Ryken of Wheaton College is currently doing a series of blogs here to encourage Christians to read and think about Albert Camus' book, l'Etranger.

You can download the book in pdf format in English or in French. (Google it.)

I am supposed to have read this book during my language year, but I didn't. I bought it, but buying a book and reading it are not exactly the same thing. So I decided to go at it, using Prof Ryken's study notes even though it means going slowly, just one (short) chapter a week. So this morning I read chapter 1 in English then in French. It's more fun in French because Camus uses picturesque words that I am not sure you can really capture in translation (for example, a man's trousers were too long and "corkscrewed" around the bottom of his legs). But the English version captures the mood well, of a man who seems aware of everything but understands nothing and is moved by nothing.

Comments

Gary Brady said…
Alan Your note prompted me to go out and buy a copy yesterday as I've never read it (I think there is one here somewhere but I can't find it). Enjoying it so far. I like his stripped down style.
9:31 am
Alan said…
Yes. I like his sparseness. The economy of expression reminds me of Hemingway a bit.

Read Ryken's notes and you'll feel REALLY GOOD about reading the book, too.
9:41 am
Emmanuel said…
I had seen these articles and thought it would be good to read along. You've convinced me and I got my copy today.
6:02 pm
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A bit about music exams in UK and France

They're really different. I think I have already mentioned that while in the UK people generally find a private teacher for their instrument, or do it through a school scheme, here there are municipal music school, conservatoires and so on. The situation is a little more complex than I had first understood, because the schools vary in the rigidity of their organisation: the most, the conservatoires, next the municipals, then the associations. Our music school is an association, but it tends to apply the standards of the municipal schools with its programme of cycles, etc. Britain - grade 1 to 8, grade 8 being roughly equivalent to A-level, pre university/conservatoire. France - 3 cycles, each taking about 4 years, with 3ème cycle being roughly equivalent to grade 8. Theory of music - UK to take grade 8 you need theory grade 5. In France you study theory alongside your instrumental studies, very slowly. Catrin's flute music is MUCH more difficult than the stuff she does in theor...
Read more

Good news from my sermon buddy

Yesterday we went over my script from August 13. There really wasn't much she had taken exception to. Once or twice she wondered quite what I was getting at (they had the same problem at Deeside, I think...) and I do have difficulties with the word " de ", but then she said "Who doesn't?" So I felt very encouraged. I also took the opportunity to ask her about one or two things: 1) Direct preaching. Like I used to in Britain, I preach saying you - using "vous" when I am talking to the whole wide world and "tu" when I want it to feel as if I am addressing each person individually. French preachers tend to say rather "What will we do, what will one do". So I asked her if she felt my way was too direct, too brutal for the French ear. She said "I think you can get away with it with your English accent". In fact several people have commented on how much they appreciated being spoken to directly in preaching. 2) Liaisons Last...
Read more

A brief sortie to North Wales

 Following the Great Keswick Debacle, when our volunteering at the Keswick café was sabotaged by our assorted indispositions, we had airline tickets to use up. Yes, we had not taken travel insurance, so we paid even more money to change our tickets to fly for a short visit to North Wales. This time we were able to go. We passed extremely slowly through a very crowded Bordeaux airport but in good time to get our plane. All seats in the terminal were taken so we leaned against whatever we could find while waiting to board. Hey, bags need seats, too! though sometimes pointing out to Pat, "No, that's a bag seat", makes the bag find a new refuge on the lap of the person sitting next to it... Once on the plane we quickly found our allocated seats - right at the back on the left hand side - stowed our bags and the flight was smooth and uneventful.  We had 30 minutes in Manchester to disembark, get through immigration , hustle off to the station and board our train for Shotton. I...
Read more