The First Man

The First Man was the final (unfinished) manuscript worked on by the great Albert Camus before he died tragically in a car crash. His daughter released it and noted in the introduction that Camus' wife did not want it published because it might mar his reputation. His daughter, however, argues that the autobiographical slant of this novel merits its publication.

Turns out, they were both right.

Camus' wife was correct in thinking that publishing an unfinished first draft of a novel is not the best idea. It's not, if you were wondering. Mind you, few errors remain in the text, but there are portions where it is noted that Camus crossed out a paragraph, and Camus' notes are spread throughout footnotes and two sections of the appendix (which I did not read because they would be impossible to follow). It felt exactly like reading a well-written draft, which was interesting but unfulfilling.

On the flip side, Camus' daughter was correct in thinking that this work was worth publishing. However, it undoubtedly would be more valuable if it were published along with other unpublished works - letters, drafts for other works, etc. Then it could be marketed for the avid Camus reader, the intended audience for a work like this. While it's not a proper autobiography, Camus does fashion the main character after himself and his life experiences. This insight into his early life sheds a lot of light onto Camus and his development into a writer.

The book itself follows Jaques, who really is Camus himself. He begins on a quest to find out more about his father, who died at 29 - in Albert's early years. This spurns him into a recollection of his childhood days, thus beginning his autobiography. The First Man begins with his birth and ends with his later teenage years, studying at a French academy. Throughout the reader visits Jaques' family home, immersed in colorful family members, including a vulgar uncle, a feeble older brother, a deaf and mute mother, and an overbearing grandmother. The reader also travels through Jaques' educational experiences in Algeria and France. In each location Jaques travels to Camus paints a lifelike portrait of the streets, the people, and the environment.

Overall, this is a great start to a great novel. In its unfinished state, I would only recommend this book to Camus enthusiasts who have read his published works. I do not fall in that category, so I did not fully appreciate this work. I bought it for cheap from a library book sale, but had I read the inner jacket and realized that it was unfinished and in draft form, I would not have purchased it.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (on its way to 4 or 5 if it had been finished and polished)

30 books, 122 days...at this rate I'll read 89 books