Albert Camus

Awarded for

Writing that throws light on the problems of the human conscience in our times

The story behind the prize

Camus explored the 'absurd': the clash between the human search for meaning and a silent universe. The Stranger follows Meursault, a detached man who kills an Arab in Algiers; The Plague describes a town fighting a deadly epidemic. He died in a car accident in 1960.

About

French writer and philosopher born in French Algeria, linked to the idea of the absurd.

Exam facts

• Second-youngest Literature laureate (44)
• Famous works: The Stranger, The Plague, The Myth of Sisyphus