18. On the influence of journalism in Albert Camus’ development as an intellectual and writer

Or, how criticism of the media informed the writing of The Plague

1.

Albert Camus had an ambivalent relationship with journalism and the press. Circumstances led him, almost by accident, into the profession in the first place – his tuberculosis – and circumstances – tuberculosis and war – led him to very quickly be given more responsibility within the newspapers he worked for in Algeria (as we noted previously). But th…