“I recently re-read ‘The Plague’ by Albert Camus, written 1947, translated from French by Stuart Gilbert. I first read it as a young adult but remembered very little of it beyond the general story of a city that is struck by a plague. Reading it now at age 70, at a time when the world is struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as social, political and environmental crises, this extraordinary story offers powerful lessons. It shows how people respond in various ways to calamity: With denial, with fear, with greed and with courage. It speaks of individual moral responsibility, and it shows a way forward even in devastating times. ‘The Plague’ invites its reader to consider so many timely questions, such as: What is a ‘plague’? For Camus, it may have been a metaphor for the Nazi occupation of France during World War II (he was an editor of a Resistance newspaper during this time). Could it also be a metaphor for a greedy, materialistic society? Or dangerous political discord? Or environmental and climate calamities?  It also asks: What can we do to address a plague? I had to smile when I read that the fictional health authorities of the 1940s were trying to ‘flatten the curve.’ It offers a clear statement on how to combat a plague: common decency. This is a book enriched by discussion, and I thank John, Dena, Joyce, Wendy, Eli and Caroline for their insightful Zoom conversation after we all read it. There is certainly sadness in ‘The Plague,’ but it also offered me solace, and even hope.” — ELLEN STEINBART, Brunswick

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Author Debra Spark on writing