Preorder the Marris / Knopf translation of The Plague: We English-speakers are, as the saying goes, one people separated by a common language.

The Laura Marris translation is characterized as American, in contrast with the Robin Buss translation, which may be said to have a British flavo(u)r. One presumes that the 2021 translation will again attempt to remedy the perceived errors of previous editions and make the text more relatable to contemporary audiences. The Buss translation is also said to sound smoother to the twenty-first century ear, a circumstance for which Gilbert can hardly be blamed. Perhaps the difference reflects a change in the philosophy of translation: In fifty years, it’s definitely possible there’s been a change in translators’ view of their role in bringing works to new audiences, and/or in the audience’s view of their role. See below for other reasons.Ĭomparison of the English translations of The Plague #Īs is traditional, the second translation was hailed as an improvement over the first Gilbert’s translation has been criticized for inaccuracy, while Buss’ is said to follow the original more closely.

I recommend the Buss / Penguin translation of The Plague: I know some French-but not, like, a lot-and I haven’t read both the existing English translations. What is the BEST translation of The Plague by Camus?

There is a new translation by Laura Marris being published by Knopf later this year.

(Previously, I read the Robin Buss translation of The Count of Monte Cristo.)

I read the 2001 Robin Buss translation of The Plague.

I have not read the 1948 Stuart Gilbert translation of The Plague.

Camus was killed in a road accident in 1960.The book was originally published in 1947 under the French title La Peste. His books include The Plague, The Just and The Fall, and he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. He was one of the intellectual leaders of the Resistance movement and, after the War, established his international reputation as a writer. He studied philosophy in Algiers and then worked in Paris as a journalist. 'A matchless fable of fear, courage and cowardice' IndependentĪlbert Camus was born in Algeria in 1913. Each person responds in their own way to the lethal disease: some resign themselves to fate, some seek blame, and a few, like Dr Rieux, resist the terror.Īn immediate triumph when it was published in 1947, The Plague is in part an allegory of France's suffering under the Nazi occupation, and a story of bravery and determination against the precariousness of human existence. Fear, isolation and claustrophobia follow as they are forced into quarantine. The townspeople of Oran are in the grip of a deadly plague, which condemns its victims to a swift and horrifying death.

The Plague is Albert Camus's world-renowned fable of fear and courage

The plague robin buss