A beautiful and compelling work--an invitation to discomfort

books:


	• The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays (Vintage V-75) Albert Camus Vintage, 1959 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 47 reviews
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Let us roll the rock up the hill again

Let us roll the rock up the hill again , as Camus has Sisyphus do. We know the rock will inevitably roll down, and that we will when we come down after it, come to the moment of decision and consciousness when we for Camus will have to decide whether to give in to the Absurd and let the rock rest or strive for our human dignity and begin rolling the rock up the hill again. And this with the idea that so long as we are rolling the rock we are not defeated, and there is human dignity in the world.
But let us leave Camus for a moment, and leave Sisyphyus .And let us forget the rock also .And let us quietly look up at the sky and tremble at the mystery of Being, and the wonder of what is that it is .This too is a kind of rock, the religious moment in which we wonder where all has come from, and whether or not perhaps beyond it all, there is a Creator not simply of rocks but of human minds and souls and hearts.
And then let us return to Camus and Sisyphus and their rock. And as we push it up the hill with all our hearts we feel then suddenly not alone but other human beings pushing it with us.And the rock not simply a rock but a foundation stone for the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. And all of us rock- pushers and prayers servants of God in a life that is meaningful.
Oh rock, Oh Camus, oh Sisyphus, O world with G-d that we can find meaning and joy and love in- in life that is no longer wholly Absurd.

for more information click here

Camus as Robert F. Kennedy's Muse

After reading "The Myth of Sisyphus", I begin to understand my hero, Robert F. Kennedy better now.

It was during the years after the tragic death of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, that Robert was finally free for the first time in his life to struggle to create his own identity and sense of purpose.

In his journey of self examination that followed John's assassination, Robert explored the writings of ancient Greeks, beginning with "The Greek Way" by Edith Hamilton.

But it was in the existentialist writings of Albert Camus that Bobby Kennedy finally found a way of thinking that helped him to make sense of life's absurdities.

For anyone who is facing some difficult or very strange challenges in their life, I strongly recommend a serious look at Albert Camus' writings, beginning with "The Myth of Sisyphus".

It's not optimism, to be sure, but it does help one to make some sense out of troubling times.

for more information click here

A beautiful and compelling work--an invitation to discomfort

It is interesting to note that, in spite of the gorgeous way in which Camus describes the joy that is the physical, immanent world, what Camus insists of the reader is no more than a challenge to what, for many people, are core notions about sadi world and its worth (or lack thereof). This book, when read closely, clears up many misconceptions held about existentialist or "absurd" thought, namely that, from an exceedingly nihilistic standpoint, the world and, by extension, life is utterly meaningless and altogether a futile endeavor devoid of hope. What Camus argues for is, contrary to uninformed assumptions, the beauty and joy inherent in the struggle of life (particularly against the notion of some ultimate/transcendent meaning that is applicable to all, and, perhaps more so, some sort of "next life" that ultimately bestows meaning on "this" life). In spite of Camus arguments, which are beautiful and compelling, I find his conflicting points regarding the inherent joy and meaning within life and the utter, ultimate hopelessness and futility which stems from its finite nature difficult to balance. Camus would, however, argue that this is as it should be, and that this contradiction is precisely what he talks about throughout the primary essay--the "absurd" (the divergence between the true and the expected/assumed/presumed) Though much of what Camus argues for is difficult and, at times, unpleasant to digest (considering their full assault on many preconcieved notions operating within the West/Christendom), I cannot help but admit that they are true. It is this criterion, whether or not something is evidently true, which serves as the impetus for his analysis; one cannot help but admire the ruthless inquisitiveness and honesty with which he asks and answers such questions of himself and of us. Strongly recommended. Camus, in addition to his evident passion for man and for life, writes gorgeous, aphoristic prose--which, I feel, is the best (or at least most pleasant) way for a philosopher to write.

for more information click here

what's your stone?

The myth of Sisyphus is the myth of life. Endlessly pushing a boulder up a hill, condemned to it, visited again and again by the strain of it all. I believe anyone could gain some introspection and strength from Camus' dissection of a timeless myth.

Just keep in mind all of you hungry, void philosophers who will approach this work, some stones are worthy of the struggle, the trick is deciding which are important to you.

The absurd presence !

Albert Camus made one of his masterpieces essays with this clever and fundamental issue .
The sense of the absurd has few times so merciless , incisive and bitter as in this case .
As one of the legitimate descendents of that huge tree , Fedor Dostoievsky , Camus explores meticulously the esssential facets and describes with supreme maestry the roots of the absurd .
He decides to make a journey where the literature , the history , the philosophy and mythology melt to produce an admirable and superb text .
If you are (as I do) a hard fan of Camus ; do not wait for a second and try to get it as soon as you can .
In my opinion , Camus was the most important ambassador of the existencialism movement . He lived as he wrote ; and that remarkable aspect is a glorious and brave statement of living.

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

How to be a public intellectual

search for books
myth of sisyphus, essays, myth, other, sisyphus, v-75, vintage

Impressum / about us