The Plague

Albert Camus / 颜湘如Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaMar 2026

Rating 4.7
Word count
140K words
Chapters
6
ISBN
9787572626449

Tags

Foreign Literature Group BiographyHuman NatureHumanistic CarePsychological InsightMoral DilemmaTurbulent Era

Summary

A masterpiece by Nobel laureate Albert Camus—an epic of ordinary people.

Translated by Yan Xiangru, whose rendering is precise and fluid.

One day, Dr. Rieux kicks a dead rat on the stairway landing. That evening, as he climbs the stairs home, he suddenly sees a large rat dart out from a corner of the corridor, its gait unsteady; it circles in place, then collapses, blood spilling from its slightly parted mouth.

From that day on, corpses of rats dead from sudden death keep appearing everywhere, and soon neighbors begin dropping dead. The government has no choice but to seal off the entire city of Oran, where the epidemic has broken out—not even letters may circulate. Travelers from elsewhere are trapped in a city not their own, and local residents' reunions with relatives abroad seem indefinitely postponed.

Squeak, squeak… squeak, squeak… Is this the death knell sounding an octave too high, or a whisper awakening the goodness in human hearts? In a desperate situation of isolation, confinement, and helplessness, would you still be willing to make one last effort for happiness?

Editor's review

The power of The Plague lies not in scenes of disaster but in the everyday choices of ordinary people after the city is sealed off. Dr. Rieux makes his rounds day after day—nothing heroic about it; he simply keeps doing what must be done. Some, even in despair, still make one last effort for happiness. Yan Xiangru's translation is precise and fluid, reading without distance. What makes this book endure is that it grounds abstract absurdity in concrete circumstances: a sealed city, undeliverable letters, reunions indefinitely postponed—readers easily see their own moments of helplessness reflected there. It is not a novel to be forgotten once finished; it is best read in quiet, concentrated sessions, noting how the characters' attitudes differ in extremity, and then, after finishing, returning to consider what the title actually points to.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Read in quiet, concentrated sessions rather than in fragments, leaving room for thought.
  2. Note and compare how characters such as Rieux and Tarrou face the epidemic differently.
  3. After finishing, revisit the opening passage about the dead rat to appreciate the narrative pacing.

About the publisher

Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1985

Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House is a publisher known for its literary titles, with a catalogue spanning foreign literature, world classics, classical Chinese literature, essays and miscellaneous writings, and mystery and detective fiction. Judging from the more than 1,100 books in the database, the press publishes foreign classics such as Crime and Punishment, Snow Country, The Complete Sherlock Holmes and Letter from an Unknown Woman, as well as Chinese classical and modern literary works including Lu Xun's Wandering and A Madman's Diary and Wu Jingzi's The Scholars. In terms of translators and authors, translations by Cao Guowei and Tan Jinghua appear in its foreign literature titles, and the authors involved include Dostoevsky, Kawabata Yasunari, Conan Doyle and Zweig. Its publishing character lies in introducing Chinese and foreign literary classics side by side, balancing popular and serious works and attending to both readability and literary value. Public information is limited; the above is a brief overview based solely on the books in the database.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 第一部
  3. 第二部
  4. 第三部
  5. 第四部
  6. 第五部

FAQ

I haven't read Camus. Can I start directly with The Plague? Yes. It is a novel, not a philosophical treatise; the storyline is clear and does not depend on background from other works. If the theme of absurdity interests you afterward, reading more of Camus will come naturally.
How does this translation differ from others? According to the publisher, Yan Xiangru's translation aims for precision and fluency, suited to readers who want a rendering close to the original without feeling stiff. Translations vary in style; if you already favor a particular translator, compare sample passages before choosing.
Does the book describe real historical events? No, it is not documentary but a novel set against an epidemic. Camus uses the sealed city and death to build an allegorical situation and explore human choices in absurd circumstances; it should not be read as a historical record.

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About the author

Albert Camus Author · French · 1913–1960

Albert Camus (1913–1960) was a French writer and philosopher, born in Mondovi, Algeria, and the winner of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature. He focused on human choice and dignity in absurd situations, exploring this through novels, plays, and essays. The Stranger uses restrained, lucid narration to portray modern alienation and judgment; The Plague reflects resistance and solidarity through a city's disaster; The Myth of Sisyphus sets out his philosophy of the absurd through the mythic image. The Rebel turns to the question of revolt and limits, while The Fall, Exile and the Kingdom, and Caligula continue to probe moral dilemmas and human complexity. His concise, clear style combines philosophical reflection with narrative tension, and his works are widely classified as foreign literature, philosophical reading, and classics. He died in a car accident in France in 1960.

颜湘如 Author

Yan Xiangru is a translator listed in a Chinese-language book database, and public information about her is limited: her nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not recorded. Four works are currently available under her name. Her translations focus on foreign literature and suspense and mystery fiction, with representative titles including The Plague, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Memory Traveler. These works span both classic serious literature and contemporary crime suspense, the former demanding a firm grasp of philosophical depth and narrative rhythm, and the latter requiring fluent, natural prose across tense plots and dialogue. The four titles often involve crime, fate, and social critique, suggesting a preference for works with strong dramatic tension and nuanced psychological portrayal. Given the lack of biographical and interview material, her translation style and personal background cannot yet be described in detail.