It is a retelling of albert camus 1942 novel the stranger, which follows a man named meursault who casually murders a victim called only the arab and blames his actions on the midday heat. The meursault investigation, which this year won the goncourt first novel prize, contains stories within stories, yet its narrative vitality never flags. The meursault investigation audiobook by kamel daoud, john. The meursault investigation audiobook by kamel daoud. Free download or read online the meursault investigation pdf epub book. The meursault investigation invokes the language, images and plot of the stranger and adapts them to the algerian context. Aug 21, 2015 novelist kamel daoud, finding dignity in the absurd his new novel, the meursault investigation, reworks albert camus the stranger from the point of view of the murdered arabs brother. Because so much time has been spent throughout the discussion of this novel analyzing meursault s character, there is little elaboration that would be more than speculation. Where camuss godless prose is coolly mathematical in its ratio of words to. The meursault investigation is, without a doubt, a critique of the stranger, but it is also much more. San francisco gate for its incandescence, its precision of phrase and description, and its crosscultural significance, the meursault investigation is an instant classic. Jun 14, 2015 the algerian writer kamel daoud has answered this question in his rich and inventive new novel, the meursault investigation. Its publication in france was followed by nominations for many prizes and awards.
If you are familiar with the cures song killing an arab, you will know that it is based on the incident in albert camus the outsider in which the central character, mersault, shoots and kills an arab on an algerian beach. The meursault investigation quotes showing of 37 you drink a language, you speak a language, and one day it owns you. The meursault investigation takes the form of a long, rambling. Nuruddin farah, awardwinning author of hiding in plain sight a superb novelin the future, the stranger and the meursault investigation will be read side. The meursault investigation by kamel daoud why this book. In kamel daouds the meursault investigation, a tourdeforce reimagining of camuss the outsider, from the point of view of the mute arab victims, the author seeks not to reindict the colonizing french but to relate all the disappointments that the dream of free algeria has produced for the natives, particularly their degradation. Bookmarks selection the meursault investigation by kamel daoud, translated from the french by john cullen in his debut novel, kamel daoud, an algerian journalist, has penned a companion piece to albert camuss 1942 existential masterpiece, the stranger, from the perspective of the murdered arabs fictional brother. The meursault investigation by kamel daoud, translated from the french by john cullen algeria, other press this years longlist is very strong, but i have no problem making the claim that the meursault investigation by kamel daoud deserves to be at the head of the list.
Basically, one should remember that meursault is a man who will not lie about himself, a man who cannot accept the formulas by which his society convinces itself it is happy. Daoud explores and sometimes agrees with camus preoccupation with the absurd, which is the fundamental conflict between human desire to find meaning in life and the ultimate inability to find such. Its told from the perspective of the murdered algerians younger brother, harun, now an old man. Jun 02, 2015 the meursault investigation cleverly builds on the stranger by camus the events of the stranger are revisited, seen through the eyes of the brother of the once anonymous victim. Daoud corrects, or writes back, to camus the stranger from the point of view of the dead arabs brother. He was the brother of the arab killed by the infamous meursault, the antihero of camuss classic novel.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the meursault investigation by kamel daoud. At last, he is emptied of all hope he is free from worry, and able to acknowledge the gentle indifference of the world. The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide. Praise for the meursault investigation nothing prepared me for daouds fi rst novel, the meursault investigation, a thrilling retelling of albert camuss 1942 classic, the outsider, from the perspective of the brother of the arab killed by meursault, camuss antihero. Algerian journalist kamel daoud to speak about his novel. It is a retelling of albert camus s 1942 novel, the stranger. This book, the meursault investigation, which has won several awards in france, takes the form of a firstperson. Published in 20, the meursault investigation is a literary fiction novel by kamel daoud. Daoud intentionally, emphatically twins the two, from an opening line that mirrors camus own to the. This angry novel by an algerian journalist is a bold riposte to albert camuss.
The meursault investigation by kamel daoud contrary. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the meursault investigation. We were more than delighted to know that on the 5 th of july 2015 it was finally accepted. With the meursault investigation, kamel daoud has achieved the near impossible. The meursault investigation by kamel daoud, paperback. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The meursault investigation book charlotte mecklenburg. The meursault investigation, by kamel daoud financial times.
Oct 26, 2015 the meursault investigation by kamel daoud other press, 2015 kamel daouds debut novel is a relentless reply to camus the stranger. Meursault produces mainly white wines from chardonnay grapes, primarily in a style with a clear oak influence, which have led to descriptions such as buttery. Jun 24, 2015 the meursault investigation, algerian journalist kamel daouds first novel, winner of the goncourt firstnovel prize, and from now on an indispensable companion to camus, is narrated by the. Laila lalami is the author of the moors account, a finalist for the 2015 pulitzer prize in fiction. Meursault is psychologically detached from the world around him. Meursault declares that all that is left, in order for him to. Harun can not easily move beyond the events of the past, and their representation. God, religion, faith and murder all mix in the meursault investigation by kamel daoud, a novel about belief and identity. Kamel daoud is an algerian journalist based in oran, where he writes for the quotidien doranthe third largest frenchlanguage algerian newspaper.
Awards, prix goncourt du premier roman 2015 prix francoismauriac 2014. The meursault investigation is a response to albert camuss 1942 novel the stranger. John cullen this response to camuss the stranger is at once a love story and a political manifesto about postcolonial algeria, islam, and the irrelevance of arab lives. It incorporates and reworks bits of the stranger and is set in oran, site of camus second novel, the plague. The meursault investigation cleverly builds on the stranger by camus the events of the stranger are revisited, seen through the eyes of the brother of the once anonymous victim. The meursault investigation, by kamel daoud the new. Kamel daoud has written a novel the meursault investigation 202014, first published in algeria in 20, and then republished in france to critical acclaim. Bookmarks selection the meursault investigation by kamel daoud, translated from the french by john cullen in his debut novel, kamel daoud, an algerian journalist, has penned a companion piece to albert camuss 1942 existential masterpiece, the stranger, from the. It is a retelling of albert camuss 1942 novel, the stranger. The meursault investigation study guide literature guide litcharts. A worthy complement to its great predecessor, the meursault investigation is not only a profound meditation on arab identity and the disastrous effects of colonialism in algeria, but also a stunning work of literature in its own right, told in a unique and affecting voice. This response to camuss the stranger is at once a love story and a political manifesto about postcolonial algeria, islam, and the irrelevance of arab lives.
Pdf the meursault investigation book by kamel daoud free. Meursault declares that all that is left, in order for him to be less alone, is to wish for a large crowd of hating. Daouds writing is like a live wire flowing with anger. For daoud, the novel is above all an opportunity to engage. Daoud explores and sometimes agrees with camus preoccupation with the absurd, which is the fundamental. Investigations force derives from the pathos of watching a powerful, insightful, witty mind recount a life that has mostly gone unlived, thwarted by early trauma. No other book on this longlist will force you to reexamine your reading. The algerian writer kamel daoud has answered this question in his rich and inventive new novel, the meursault investigation. In kamel daouds the meursault investigation, a tourdeforce reimagining of camuss the outsider, from the point of view of the mute arab victims, the author seeks not to reindict the colonizing french but to relate all the disappointments that the dream of free algeria has produced for the natives, partic. The meursault investigation indicts meursault and camus, but offers little redemption, either. The meursault investigation, by kamel daoud financial.
Meursault, contreenquete by kamel daoud world literature today. The first edition of the novel was published in october 20, and was written by kamel daoud. The main characters of this fiction, cultural story are. Be the first to ask a question about the meursault investigation. The meursault investigation by kamel daoud other press, 2015 kamel daouds debut novel is a relentless reply to camus the stranger. Meursault, the narrator of camuss letranger, is one of the most famous of all characters in french fiction. John cullen is the translator of many books from spanish, french, german, and italian, including philippe claudels brodeck, juli zehs decompression, yasmina rezas happy are the happy, and. San francisco gate for its incandescence, its precision of phrase and description, and its crosscultural significance, the meursault investigation is. Where meursault begins his story with the famous sentence maman died today, harun begins his by saying mamas still alive today. The meursault investigation by kamel daoud why this. The meursault investigation is the first novel by algerian writer and journalist kamel daoud. The name of meursault derives from muris saltus, the mouseleap stream of the ruisseau des cloux, so named by the roman soldiers.
The meursault investigation approaches the incredible, in that it reverses the perspective and point of view not without an emphatic ferociousness, all while playing with the prose and perspective of the outsider. In albert camus novel the stranger, meursault is the french algerian who kills the anonymous man, aka the arab. If i were an english professor, the meursault investigation would go on. A novel kindle edition by daoud, kamel, cullen, john. Meursault, contreenquete is the first novel by algerian writer and journalist kamel daoud. Daouds novel is a counterinvestigation, contreenquete a rewriting, rather as jean rhys rewrote jane eyre, but unlike rhyss novel, the story is told with sympathy for the narrator and for camus. The meursault investigation international dublin literary award. Novelist kamel daoud, finding dignity in the absurd his new novel, the meursault investigation, reworks albert camus the stranger from the. Just as his mother rebelled against dying, he must, too. This postcolonialist response to the stranger counters camuss version with elements from the perspective of the unnamed arab victims brother naming him and presenting him as a real. The meursault investigation, algerian journalist kamel daouds first novel, winner of the goncourt firstnovel prize, and from now on an. Published in 20, the meursault investigation is a literary fiction novel. In the meursault investigation, the author builds on the algerian conceit that the stranger was not fiction at all, but rather a true story of a murder, a story written by the murderer, meursault. First published in algeria by barzakh editions in october 20, it was reissued in france by actes sud may 2014.
Sep 22, 2016 the meursault investigation is, without a doubt, a critique of the stranger, but it is also much more. A finalist for the prix goncourt, the meursault investigation won the prix. The meursault investigation, by kamel daoud the new york times. A feature film of the book is slated for release in 2017. But daouds book, which was recently awarded frances prestigious prix. The meursault investigation a provocative recasting of. Many of the novels key elementssuch as haruns ambivalent relationship with his mother and his confrontation with an imam at the end of the novelmirror similar elements in the stranger. Nov 05, 2015 the meursault investigation, which tells the story from the standpoint of the victims brother, harun, received wide critical acclaim after its 20 french publication, and garnered multiple awards and honors, including the francoismauriac prize in 2014 and frances goncourt prize for a first novel in 2015. The meursault investigation is suffused with the spirit of camus. Daoud s story is told from the perspective of the arabs younger brother as he reflects on the murder later in life. The book, which has been translated from french into english under the title the meursault investigation, has received several literary awards, including the 2015 prix goncourt du premier roman for a novel written in french as an authors first novel. It is an example of a postmodern subgenre wellrepresented by previously published works ranging from mary reilly to wicked to lady macbeth.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. In the year after its publication, the meursault investigation won three literary awards in france, including the prestigious goncourt prize. Jun 03, 2015 investigations force derives from the pathos of watching a powerful, insightful, witty mind recount a life that has mostly gone unlived, thwarted by early trauma. The meursault investigation cleverly builds on the. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 143 pages and is available in paperback format. The meursault investigation, by kamel daoud the new york. The meursault investigation by kamel daoud overdrive. He simply does not care that his mother is dead, or that marie loves him. Yes, as we have discussed before, as my childbearing years drew to a close, i had a recurrent dream. First published in algeria by barzakh editions in october 20, it was reissued in france by actes sud. The meursault investigation, algerian journalist kamel daouds first novel, winner of the goncourt firstnovel prize, and from now on an indispensable companion to camus, is narrated by the. Events that would be very significant for most people, such as a marriage proposal or a parents death, do not matter to him, at least not on a sentimental level.
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