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Albert Camus is one of the best known philosophers of the twentieth century, as well as a widely read novelist. Active in the first half of the twentieth century, his views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as absurdism, and his works have inspired numerous movies, and even pop songs, and are frequently referenced in contemporary politics. 0In this Very Short Introduction Oliver Gloag explores the life and work of a man full of contradictions, who occupied an ambiguous position in troubled and conflicted times. A fearless journalist who tirelessly investigated the terrible conditions of people in French-occupied Algeria in the 1930s, Camus also stated that the only salvation for France was to remain an "Arab Power". While he published articles during the German Occupation in a clandestine resistance newspaper, Camus also withdrew a chapter on Kafka to ensure that his philosophical treatise would pass the Nazi-controlled censorship. Over the course of his life he ranged from being strongly in favour of the death penalty to deploring it in his philosophy.. Following a broad chronological framework, Gloag explores the major philosophical and literary works of Camus in the historical context in which they were written and published, and analyses how the reception and popularity of these works are connected with contemporary political, social and cultural issues, shaping the ideological landscape that surrounds us.