The theater excited Albert Camus’ communal instincts as a writer, but the stage wasn’t the ideal medium for his brand of political existentialism. “Caligula” is perhaps his most fully realized play, and he had some success with adaptations (notably of Faulkner and Dostoevsky). Barrault thought the problem with “L’ État de siège” stemmed from the confusion over whether the plague was political or metaphysical. The comet that augurs disaster in “L’État de siège” might bring to mind a certain momentous election result in which everything suddenly changed. Camus as a playwright may not be for all ages, but the political questions he poses will need to be answered by every generation.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 27, 2017 21:11 UTC