Camus and Sartre – The Story of a Friendship and the Quarrel that Ended It - Hardcover

Aronson, Ronald

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226027961 ISBN 13: 9780226027968

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2004

Synopsis

Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre first met in 1943, during the German occupation of France. Intellectual as well as political allies, they grew famous overnight after Paris was liberated. But East West tensions began to strain their friendship as they evolved in opposing directions, disagreeing over philosophy, the responsibilities of intellectuals, and what sorts of political changes were necessary or possible. And while Sartre embraced violence as a path to change, Camus sharply opposed it, leading to a bitter and very public falling out in 1952, after which they never spoke again. Ronald Aronson chronicles this riveting story while demonstrating how Camus and Sartre developed first in connection with and then against each other, each keeping the other in his sights long after their break. Combining biography and intellectual history, philosophical and political passion, Camus and Sartre will fascinate anyone interested in these great writers or the world-historical issues that tore them apart.

About this title

Review:

"With meticulous even-handedness, this internationally renowned Sartre expert has produced a remarkably non-partisan account which also reminds us that it is possible to combine the highest level of scholarship with a lively and readable style of writing. Making judicious use of archive and original interview material, which he combines with literary criticism, political insights and anecdotes, Aronson firmly locates the Camus-Sartre relationship in the political and cultural contexts of early post-War France. This important contribution to twentieth-century intellectual and cultural history reveals as never before the extent to which the two men interacted with each other through their writings both before and, importantly, after the 1952 rupture."-- (08/20/2004)

About the Author:

Ronald Aronson is the Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Wayne State University. He is the author or editor of seven previous books, including Sartre's Second Critique and Stay Out of Politics: A Philosopher Views South Africa, both published by the University of Chicago Press.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0226027961
• ISBN 13: 9780226027968
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 248