Myth of Sisyphus (Penguin Modern Classics) by Camus, Albert published by Penguin Books, Limited (UK) (2000) Paperback

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This book had a profound effect on me at uni and, I believe, shaped the man I have become.It's certainly a book that continues to resonate.

Really important book from an underrated philosopher. I see a lot of connections between the arguments in this book and Melville's story "Moby Dick". Ahab's quest for the white whale is absurd, and yet he must do it. Just as Sisyphus and his rock. Camus points out the absurdity of seeking rational explanations for the world, that Ahab's deep meaning in his search is all we can get. That everything is mask. That whatever words we read or faith we have can not reason us out of the absurdity of human existence. That death is the only known, and that we may as well go to our deaths just as Ahab's does, defiantly and with no backward glances. There is no difference between Sisyphus, Ahab or us. This exchange between Ahab and his carpenter on faith sums human reason up.Carpenter]“Faith, sir, I’ve——”[Ahab]“Faith? What’s that?”[Carpenter]“Why, faith, sir, it’s only a sort of exclamation-like—that’s all, sir.”[Ahab]“Um, um; go on.”

This book has amazing philosophy, bogged down by poor writing and repetition of easy to understand concepts, being explained in convoluted ways over and over again.It's clear he didn't have enough to fill a book and so bogged it down, with explaining something 3 times in a row, for every point he makes.Painfully slow read for a mercifully short book. Truly great and inspiring philosophy on the human condition, persistence, the meaning of life and facing difficulty. All in just a awful package.Would recommend for anyone interested in his work, who doesn't mind being explained the same thing over and over in a book.