Reviews

The Fastidious Assassins by Albert Camus

fi_reading's review

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challenging informative slow-paced

1.75

Philosophers need to get out more 

eenaah's review

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challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

“I rebel, therefore we exist.”


Excellent read, focusing on various historical events from Russian revolution to communism and World war II, Camus discusses about rebellion and revolution.
The book is a abridged version of 'The Rebel' so I'll be probably reading that one to have a better understanding but nevertheless this was a great read.

jtbolscher's review

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4.0

what bitch reads “On Authority” once and immediately wants to establish a dictatorship of the proletariat? find jesus or whatever

(i have many thoughts but they are neither here nor there. i am camus-pilled, stalin was a bitch and nietzsche should’ve worried less about killing god and more about his god-awful moustache. so stalin should’ve too, actually. and trotsky. and hitler. hmm…)

isaac_salle's review

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challenging reflective slow-paced

3.0

rottenjester's review

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

this is my Camus year. while I'm warming up to his fiction, his essays continue to amaze me ever so slightly more.
Genius of the absurd

mocarls's review

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reflective

3.5

alanffm's review

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3.0

Camus is truly an interesting writer and philosopher. While I can't bring myself to agree with his premise that to "rebel, [is to] therefore... exist", I can understand his point. The act of rebellion is an act of sacrifice, and in that, to sacrifice yourself is to give yourself up in the name of a greater ideal or the greater community. In this, to rebel is to prove that you exist in the world. I would be a lot more skeptical of this claim had it not been for the compelling stories Camus provides detailing the history of rebels in pre-revolutionary Russia and their relationship to the state.
While I can't say I am too enchanted by this work, it is still a great read. Camus has a way with words and his ability to relate history to philosophy is impressive. I also like how nested in this philosophical text is a warning against the absurdities of nihilism. I never thought of characterizing the Nazi's or Mussolini's Italy as nihilist. That connection now seems unavoidable.

cocopopsmonkey's review

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I really enjoyed TRYING to read this book, it definitely has a lot of really interesting points and I resonate with Camus' philosophy. That being said it at times kind of repeats itself or reaffirms the point its making in a different sentence. I stopped trying because I have so many other books I need to read just now. Maybe I'll revisit it!

blackorwa's review

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4.0

A great philosophical take on revolutions as sanctified mass murder. The author focusses on the difference between rebellion and murder; "rebellions kills men, revolutions kill men and ideas". In it, Albert Camus is in favour of reformation (rebellion) rather than revolutions which usher in more authiritarianism than the deposed system.

solesito's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5