The Myth of Sisyphus is a philosophical essay written by Albert Camus and published (as Mythe de Sisyphe) in 1942. In it, Camus explores the absurd, which he identifies as coming about in the confrontation between our desire for clarity and our understanding of the world’s irrationality. The essay contains no metaphysics, since Camus’s goal in The Myth of Sisyphus is to describe, not to explain. He does not hope to persuade us through argument but rather wants us to follow his analysis of the absurd—a state of mind we have all shared at one time or another.

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Deeper Study

Go deeper into The Myth of Sisyphus by reading an essays providing background on Albert Camus and his work, a discussion of related themes in Camus's The Stranger, and philosophical context for the essay

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