As a 14-year-old boy, Albert Camus’s “The Stranger” and “The Plague” were difficult to comprehend. That’s precisely why “The Myth of Sisyphus” (1942) (original title: Le Mythe de Sisyphe) seemed to clearly convey what Camus wanted to say.
Sisyphus, as you know, is the mythological figure condemned to endlessly push a boulder up a mountain. This punishment resembles torture. Yet Camus suggests that meaning, value, and existence emerge from continuing to perform this seemingly meaningless action. Albert Camus takes the philosophical stance that even if reality is meaningless, this doesn’t justify abandoning life—a perspective that provides remarkable strength against despair.
Camus isn’t alone in this thinking. In “Yes To Life In Spite of Everything” (1946) (original title: Trotzdem Ja zum Leben sagen), Viktor Emil Frankl transformed the question—suggesting that instead of us questioning life, it is life that questions us.
And Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre proposed that “existence precedes essence.” For example, a ballpoint pen was created because the essence of the pen—its purpose—came first, and someone thought it would be good to have a tool with such an essence. However, humans already possess existence simply by being in the world once we become self-aware. Building upon this existence, we can explore, discover, and determine our own essence.
These existentialist philosophers and physicians address life, hope, and despair without relying on religion. Rather than simply denying or criticizing religion, they attempt to cover territories traditionally occupied by religion through philosophy and literature.
Their intellectual rebelliousness offers lessons for our modern world. After all, there are many meaningless and despairing elements in our world. From these thinkers, we can learn a flexible perspective that isn’t overwhelmed by despair.
I began my journey into existentialism through Albert Camus’s works. I bought “The Plague” at a small local bookstore and borrowed “The Myth of Sisyphus” from the library. Though it feels like yesterday, thirty years have passed.
At 14, I desperately wanted to understand Albert Camus. I wanted to understand him immediately, not wait until I became an adult. Though it was a challenge with limitations, reading his works at that age was tremendously valuable for my self-formation.
Therefore, I recommend trying “The Myth of Sisyphus”—it’s accessible for immediate reading, and if it resonates with your sensibilities, you can return to it throughout your life.