Caligula and Three Other Plays: A New Translation by Ryan Bloom

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This collection features four thought-provoking masterworks by the Nobel Prize-winning author, presented in a new American translation by Ryan Bloom. It includes Camus's final versions of the plays, along with deleted scenes and alternate dialogue, making this the first time they are available in English. While renowned for his novels exploring absurdism, Camus found joy in the theater, calling it "one of the only places in the world I'm happy." After forming two troupes in Algeria, he moved to Paris, where he staged these original works between 1944-1949. Caligula, his first full-length play, explores the Roman emperor's grief over his sister Drusilla's death, raising existential questions about living in the face of time's relentless passage. The collection also includes The Misunderstanding, which delves into the complexities of longing for home versus the allure of elsewhere; The Just, which examines the ethical dilemmas surrounding political assassination; and State of Emergency, an allegorical piece featuring The Plague as a character, offering fresh insights into contemporary struggles with disease and authoritarianism. Together, these plays illuminate the depths of human experience and the moral dilemmas we face.