Return to Tipasa

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Homecoming to Tipasa (French original title L'Été , Eng. "Summer") is a collection of autobiographical essays published in 1954 by the French writer and philosopher Albert Camus . It is named after a story contained in the collection.

The text collection is, so to speak, the continuation of the Noces Collection published in 1938 , which contains essays written between 1936 and 1937. Later new editions therefore usually combine both books in one.

content

The 150-page collection in the German first edition from 1957 contains the eight lyrical-essayistic texts Minotaurus , The Almond Trees , Prometheus in Hell , Little Guide to Cities Without a Past , Helena's Exile , The Riddle , Homecoming to Tipasa and The Sea (Bordtagebuch ) .

Minotaur

In the five-part essay Minotaur , written in 1939, Camus tells anecdotal memories from the Algerian city of Oran , in which he later also had The Plague set . Without condescending arrogance, rather with a kind of loving respect, he describes life there and the people in a very direct judgmental way with ironic phrases and sometimes biting mockery.

"Forced to live with one of the most wonderful landscapes in front of their eyes, the people of Oran passed this difficult test by surrounding themselves with ugly buildings."

- Albert Camus : Minotaur, The Desert in Oran

After a short prologue, Camus describes in the first section, The Street , from an amused distance the shops and life on the streets of Orange, as well as the playful, self-loving displays of the local youth. Afterwards, in The Desert in Oran , he writes more abstractly about the city and its location, in order to then describe a concrete experience, an amateur boxing evening, in The Games . In The Monuments section , Camus guides the reader through Oran, discussing and criticizing the aesthetics of the city's monuments. The central, recurring theme of the essay is the stone . In the last clearly more philosophical section, The Stone of Ariadnes , Camus finally gives a sort of outlook on his later main philosophical work, The Myth of Sisyphus , when he writes:

"If we have to say yes to the stone."

- Albert Camus : Minotaur, The Stone Ariadnes

The almond trees

In this essay, written in 1940, Camus examines the catastrophic darkness that prevailed in Europe during World War II and its consequences for people's thoughts and actions. He appeals not to avoid the “superhuman task” of “restoring the idea of ​​justice and giving the peoples poisoned by the calamities of the century anew the meaning of happiness”. Comparatively, but expressly denying the character of a symbol ("This is not a symbol.") Camus writes:

“When I lived in Algiers I tolerated myself all winter long because I knew that in one night, a single cold and pure February night, the almond trees of the Valleé des Consuls would be covered with white flowers. And every time I was amazed how this delicate snowy blossom defied all rain and sea winds. And yet each year flowering took just as long as it took to prepare the fruit. "

- Albert Camus : The almond trees

Prometheus in Hell

In this essay written in 1946, Camus once again addresses the consequences of the barbarism imposed on Europe by the Nazis. To do this, he draws on the ancient hero Prometheus , whom he identifies as the forefather of modern man. Today's human being has betrayed the idea of ​​human beings as a self-determined subject and must now find their way back there.

“And yet: today's man has chosen his story, and he could not and should not turn away from it. But instead of making her subject to himself, he lets her force him more into bondage every day. Here he betrays Prometheus, this son "with bold thoughts and a light heart". Here he returns to the human misery from which Prometheus wanted to save him. "

- Albert Camus : Prometheus in Hell

Little guide through cities without a past

Little Guide to Cities without a Past was created in 1947. With light, sometimes ironic language, Camus gives travelers advice and at the same time expresses his love for Algeria and the people there.

Helena's exile

Camus subjects the European philosophy to a harsh criticism , especially around the themes of beauty and nature . He wrote the essay in 1948.

The riddle

The essay, written in 1950, reflects on the position of the artist in society and the often wrong view of him. In particular, Camus defends himself against the image of a serious literary figure of the absurd, a literary figure whose works and philosophy - wrongly according to him - are viewed as highly autobiographical.

Return to Tipasa

In the eponymous text of the German-language edition, Heimkehr nach Tipasa , from 1952, Camus returns after almost 20 years to the paradise of his youth, to which he had already set a literary memorial with his wedding in Tipasa in 1936 . While he was still enthusiastic about summer Tipasa , his return is now in December. The passionate, cheerful language of the first text comes alive again in places, but overall the tone and content are more thoughtful and mature. In contrast to the wedding in Tipasa , no young man of letters writes here anymore. Camus had already published his two main philosophical works, The Myth of Sisyphus and The Man in the Revolt , as well as many of his most significant literary texts, such as The Stranger or The Plague . He lived through the misery of the war and, as he writes, always drank from his memories of Tipasa. On his return, he is prepared for disappointment and looks for a point of contact with this carefree youth, without believing that he could bring the past time back to life.

The sea (on-board diary)

The last narrative in the book was written in 1953 and most likely has a fictional boat trip around the American continent as its content. The built-in fantastic elements are unusual for Camus.

expenditure

  • Returning to Tipasa , translated from the French by Monique Lang, Arche, Zurich 1957.
  • Marriage of Light , translated from French by Peter Gan and Monique Lang, Arche Verlag, Hamburg - Zurich 2010. ISBN 978-3-7160-2634-2

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