The Fall by Albert Camus

The Fall (French: La Chute) is a philosophical novel written by Albert Camus. First published in 1956, it is his last complete work of fiction. Set in Amsterdam, The Fall consists of a series of dramatic monologues by the self-proclaimed "judge-penitent" Jean-Baptiste Clamence, as he reflects upon his life to a stranger. In what amounts to a confession, Clamence tells of his success as a wealthy Parisian defence lawyer who was highly respected by his colleagues; his crisis, and his ultimate "fall" from grace, was meant to invoke, in secular terms, The Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. The Fall explores themes of innocence and guilt, freedom, and the meaninglessness of human existence. Clamence can be seen to follow in the tradition of both Friedrich Nietzsche's Zarathustra and Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground. Like these works, the main force of Camus' novel lies in its use of narrative technique which, as Clamence reflects upon the way he has lived his life, challenges the reader to examine the way he has lived his own. Camus' primary aim is to draw the reader to the conclusion that life is entirely absurd — and then teach them to come to terms with it. In a eulogy to Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre described the novel as "perhaps the most beautiful and the least understood" of Camus' books (Aronson 5).

The 836th greatest fiction book of all time


This book is on the following lists:

  1. - 13th on El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (El Pais)
  2. - 50 Memorable Books from 50 Years of Books to Remember (The New York Public Library)

Buy This Book

Name Binding Sales Rank Lowest New Lowest Used Published
Der Fremde/ Der Fall. Erläuterungen und Materialien. (Lernmaterialien) Paperback 17580129 $10.65 2003
The Fall Mass Market Paperback 484782 $22.95 $1.99
Der Fall (German Edition) Kindle Edition 4275050 $10.99 2013
The Fall (Methuen's Twentieth Century French Texts) Paperback 7074397 $4.00 1971
The Fall (Vintage International) Kindle Edition 44287 $7.99 2012
The Fall Hardcover 689409 $44.14 $0.01 1957
FALL V223 Paperback 1410719 $2.97 $0.01 1963
The Fall Mass Market Paperback 11313636 $5.28 2
The Fall Paperback 640308 $9.10 2016
Der Fall (Roman) | German Edition Kindle Edition 640246 $5.99 2022
The Fall Paperback 279528 $5.50 2015
Fall, The Paperback 1112623 $11.18 $1.01
The Fall Hardcover 1542488 $3.35
Faldet [The Fall] Audible Audiobook 108156 $21.95 2011
Der Fall. Paperback 6122237 $8.50 $5.00 1997
The Fall Hardcover 5290608 $500.00
The Fall Paperback 360135 $8.50 $5.97 2007
The Fall Paperback 1226272 $0.01
The Collected Fiction of Albert Camus: Outsider, Plague, Fall, Exile and The Kingdom Hardcover 771440 $23.09 1960
The Fall Wearable Vibrator G-Spot Clitoris Invisible Butterfly Panties Vibrating Egg Sex Toys for Women Remote Control Hardcover 98409 $37.99 2021
The Fall Hardcover 8841259 $10.00
The Fall Paperback 19100 $5.59 $2.05 1991
Der Fall Audible Audio Edition 171233 $9.95 2013