Albert Camus was a French Algerian author, philosopher, and journalist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957, becoming the second-youngest recipient in history and the first African-born writer to receive the award. Camus is regarded as a key philosopher of the 20th-century, with his most famous work being the novel L'Étranger (The Stranger).

In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, opposing certain tendencies of the surrealistic movement of André Breton. Despite being often associated with existentialism, Camus himself rejected this label, famously stating, "No, I am not an existentialist."

His philosophical work is associated with the concept of absurdism, though Camus himself distanced from the idea of being a 'prophet of the absurd.' During World War II, Camus was part of the French Resistance, serving as editor-in-chief of the outlawed newspaper Combat. Post-war, he emerged as a celebrity figure, known for his moralistic stance and political activism, opposing Stalin's totalitarianism and advocating for European integration.

During the Algerian War, he maintained a neutral stance, advocating for a multicultural and pluralistic Algeria. Camus was married twice and had multiple extramarital affairs. He died in an automobile accident just over two years after receiving the Nobel Prize.