Travels in the Americas: Notes and Impressions of a New World

Albert Camus' journals from his visits to the United States and South America in the 1940s, translated by Ryan Bloom, offer an intimate glimpse into his daily life and thoughts. The journals are filled with his impressions, frustrations, joys, and longings, and have been expertly retranslated by Bloom. The translation captures the informal, sketch-like quality of Camus' observations and the quick notes he must have taken after exhausting days of travel and lecturing.

Format: Hardback
Length: 152 pages
Publication date: 31 March 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

In March 1946, the youthful Albert Camus embarked on a journey from Le Havre to New York, marking the beginning of a remarkable transformation in his literary career. Despite his relatively unknown status among American readers at the time, the imminent publication of his debut book, The Stranger, would soon catapult him into the spotlight. By 1949, when he embarked on a tour of South America, Camus had achieved international acclaim as a celebrated author. His journals, meticulously preserved from these travels, provide an intimate glimpse into his daily life during these eventful years. These journals serve as a testament to Camus's unique form of observational writing, known as choses vues in French, where he recorded his impressions, frustrations, joys, and longings with remarkable candidness.

For many years, these journals remained unavailable in English, hindering the broader reach of Camus's writings. However, thanks to the expertise of Ryan Bloom in retranslating them, they are now accessible to a new generation of readers. Bloom's translation successfully captures the informal, sketch-like quality of Camus's observations, exhibiting a range of emotions, from irony to bitterness, cutting humor, and melancholy. It is through these concise and evocative notes that Camus's thoughts and ideas come to life, offering a profound understanding of his existentialist philosophy and the world he inhabited.

In addition to Bloom's translation, Alice Kaplan provides a fresh introduction to the journals, shedding light on their historical context and the significance of Camus's travels. Kaplan's insights and annotations enrich the reading experience, allowing readers to accompany Camus on his existential journey as he experiences personal changes and witnesses the transformative impact of the world around him. Through this captivating combination of text and annotations, Camus's journals become a valuable resource for scholars, enthusiasts, and anyone seeking to delve deeper into the mind and works of this influential philosopher.

Dimension: 216 x 140 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226694955