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1、EDWARDJ.HUGHESIntroductionAlbertCamuswasawriterwhoemergedfromsocialobscuritytobecomeabest-sellingauthorandpost-wariconinFranceandbeyond,winningtheNobelPrizeforliteraturein1957.HisprematuredeathinJanuary1960–heandthepublisherMichelGallimardwerekilledinacarcrashatVille-blevin,southofParis–didnothi
2、ngtodiminishthaticonicstatus.Yetbehindthistidy,poverty-to-celebrity-to-tragedynarrative,amorecomplexlifestoryandbodyofwritingbeckon.InhisNobelacceptancespeechatStockholminDecember1957,hepointsoutthathislifestoryispartofthecollectivehis-toryofhisgeneration,whichhaslivedthrough‘unehistoiredementie
3、lle’(‘an´insanehistory’),onethathashadtocontendwith‘lemouvementdestructeurdel’histoire’(Ess,1072,1074)(‘thedestructivemovementofhistory’).BornontheeveoftheFirstWorldWar,Camuscontinues,heandhiscontempo-rariesreachedadulthoodasHitlerobtainedpowerandasthefirstoftherevolutionarytrialsgotunderwayinthe
4、SovietUnion.Andjusttoroundofftheeducationofhisgeneration,astringofconfrontationsfollow–withcivilwarinSpain,theSecondWorldWarandtheconcentrationcamps.Mean-whilethechildrenofthisgenerationfacethespectreofnucleardestruction.Camus’sconclusionisthatadeathinstinctisatworkinthecollectivehistoryofhistim
5、esastyranny’s‘grandsinquisiteurs’(Ess,1073)(‘grandinquisitors’)holdsway.Inaddition,however,Camus’sEuropeannessandmoreparticularlyhisFrenchnesswasinanimportantsenseatypical,skewedbythefactthathewasbornintotheworking-classpoorofcolonialAlgeria,therebyjoiningtheranksoftheso-calledpetitscolonsorsmal
6、l-timecolonisers.Thismarginalposition–adriftnotonlyfrommetropolitanFrancebutalsofromtheFrenchcolonialbourgeoisiewhoruledAlgeriaandanunder-classofnativeAlgerianswhoseplightheneverthelesshighlighted1–wastoremaincentraltohissenseofidentity.AFrenchcolonysince1831,AlgeriahadbeendeclaredFrenchnational
7、territorybytheFrenchgovernmentofthe1848revolution.Indemo-graphicterms,itwastobecomeFrance’smostFrenchcolonialpossession,1CambridgeCollectionsOnline©CambridgeUniversityPress,2007edwardj.hughessothatby1936therewereamillionEuro