The First Man by Albert Camus (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of The First Man by Albert Camus. It provides a thorough exploration of the novel’s plot, characters and main themes, including memory, childhood and family relationships. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 24-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of Albert Camus
• Presentation of The First Man
• Summary of The First Man
• Character study
  • Jacques Cormery
  • Lucie Cormery
  • Henri Cormery
  • The grandmother
  • Étienne
  • M. Bernard
• Analysis of The First Man
  • The Algerian population
  • Memory and history
  • The themes of sun and exoticism

About The First Man

The First Man is an unfinished autobiographical novel which was first published in 1994, well after its author’s death. It was supposed to be the first book in a trilogy, but the other two books were never written. In it, Camus uses his alter ego Jacques Cormery to tell the story of his childhood in a small Algerian village, his adult life in France, and his attempts to learn more about his father.

About Albert Camus

Albert Camus was an Algerian-born French writer, dramatist, essayist and philosopher. He is known in particular for his philosophical reflections on the Absurd and for his profound commitment to individual freedom, which he expressed in his writing and which were very influential during his time. He took part in the French Resistance during the Second World War, and continued to write until his premature death in a car accident in 1960, at the age of 46.

Camus was one of the major writers of the 20^th century, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957. Many of his works are now considered modern classics, in particular his novels The Plague and The Outsider.