The Just, by Albert Camus

Albert Camus (1913-1960) drew inspiration from real historical events that took place in 1905 to write the play "The Just." It consists of five scenes. Its main theme is the same as that of Jean-Paul Sartre's play "Les Mains Sales" ("Dirty Hands"); the use of violence in revolutionary struggles. The play presents a real event, which is an assassination attempt carried out by a terrorist group that resulted in the death of the Russian Grand Duke Serge, the uncle of the Tsar. Camus wrote "The Just" for men and women who lived moments of extreme pain during this attempt. This made it rightly part of the absurdist movement, and to some extent, it bears the character of literary existentialism. The first title Camus gave to the play was "The Rope," inspired by Dora's response: "Panic! A cold night, and the same rope! Everything has become easy now." Later, the title was changed, as "The Rope" is a bad omen in theater, to "The Innocents," before finally settling on "The Just." The stage remained one of the greatest issues—if not the greatest—in Albert Camus's life. He had a noble and urgent idea of the theater, which he continued to regard as the highest of literary genres. This alone was enough to make his works classical. He emphasized: "The theater also helps me escape the abstraction that threatens all writers." He adds: "The stage is one of the places in the world where I feel happiness." Although he is not listed among "playwrights" like Beckett, Foucault, Joni... Albert Camus is one of the playwrights who happily delve into the reality of the world of theater—scenes and backstage: author, adapter, actor, director, troupe and festival manager. He is truly the conductor of the theater orchestra. Number of pages: 112