The Fall by Albert Camus

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I was enjoying the return of silence, the sweetness of the evening and Paris empty. I was happy

Told as a series of confessions, The Fall is a brilliant portrayal of a man who has lost his innocence.  

Jean-Baptiste Clamence, formerly a successful lawyer, is in turmoil. Over several drunken nights he regales a chance acquaintance with his story: of parties and debauchery, of Parisian nights and the Aegean sea, and, ultimately, of the absurdity of his existence.

Albert Camus grew up in a working-class neighbourhood in Algiers. His most important works include The Outsider, The Plague and The Fall. He was killed in a road accident in 1960, and his last unfinished novel, The First Man, appeared posthumously.

Translated by Robin Buss