Being in France I decided to buy a book by one of my favorite French authors, Albert Camus. After much internal debate, I settled on The First Man.
The First Man was Camus's unfinished work that was found in the mud at the site of the car accident that took his life. He intended it to be his masterpiece but he had not completed it at the time of his untimely death. His daughter eventually set about publishing it. She included his notations in the margins and a thorough appendix of ideas he meant to expound upon. She made it clear that this was indeed an unfinished work.
But even in its rough state it is a poignant and beautiful work. The First Man is Camus's autobiography but with the names changed.
A few things stuck out to me in reading this wonderful book...
The greatest difference maker in changing his life path and helping escape the grinding poverty of his family was Public School. In particular, one of his teachers took him under his wing and pushed him to apply for secondary school when his family wanted him to go into the labor force. This one teacher made all the difference in Camus's life and Camus never forgot him. He dedicated some of his books to him and mentioned his teacher in his acceptance speech when he was awarded the Nobel Prize. His teacher sacrificed his time to help prepare him for the lycee entrance exams and mentored him. Albert was nine years old at the time.
Imagine that! A teacher noticing the giftedness of a what would be a Third Grader in the U.S.. Brought tears to my eyes. This kid, saved from a life of poverty and mindless work in the slums of Algiers because a teacher cared.
Another observation...the importance of the Public Library in Camus's childhood. He could not afford books and books provided him with an escape from the realities of poverty. Books transported him to worlds beyond the slums. Books were a spark for his imagination and creativity. These free books from the public library transformed him and gave him a larger view of life.
There is a sad poignancy throughout the story. Camus's father died in the Battle of the Marne in The Great War when Camus was only a year old. Camus never knew his father and that sense of loss pervades his childhood. His mother is half deaf and illiterate, she cleans laundry for a living. They live with his Grandmother and half-mute uncle both who are also illiterate.
Despite all this, Camus would break free from the obstacles of poverty and loss and become one of the 20th century's greatest writers and philosophers. He would serve in the Resistance against the Nazi's. Camus would give voice to those without a voice. He would provide moral clarity in a chaotic world. He died young, age 46, in that car accident. Gone way too soon. But what an impact he made in that short time. And man, what obstacles he overcame with the help of many but including the help of...
A Public School Teacher
and
The Public Library.
