Bush takes Camus to the beach John Mullan | Guardian | August 17, 2006,
http://books.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1851807,00.html > Every summer, George W Bush's holiday reading is announced. This year Bush > mockers have been given pause. The president has apparently just finished > Albert Camus' famous tale of alienation, L'Etranger. (In translation, c'est > vrai.) Not quite what we might have expected. One hungers to know what he > made of the story of Meursault, a Frenchman living in Algeria, who shoots an > Arab on the beach one day. The Arab has been in a fight with Meursault's > friend Raymond, a local pimp, but our emotionless narrator tells us he > pulled the trigger because of the irritating heat of the day, rather than > for vengeance. He then fires four more times into his victim's body. > There seems a high voltage in the president's choice of a novel whose white > protagonist murders an Arab. But Bush's reading of The Outsider was > apparently notable for the intellectual debate it sparked with his aides. > "He found it an interesting book and a quick read," said White House > spokesman Tony Snow. "I don't want to go too deep into it, but we discussed > the origins of existentialism." > Without going too deep into it, "existentialist" is probably not the right > word. "Absurdist" seems closer to the mark. The universe is shown to be > utterly indifferent, human institutions are founded on deception and > hypocrisy and the nearest thing to a moral purpose the individual can find > is mere truthfulness about this bleak state of affairs. It is not quite the > American Way. > Surely liberals cannot wait to ask the president whether he believed it to > be an indictment of capital punishment, as generations of A-level students > have been taught. At his trial, Meursault is asked to say that he is sorry > for what he has done and refuses, condemning himself by declining to tell a > required lie. A death sentence is ensured by his reported behaviour at his > mother's funeral. A witness testifies that he failed to exhibit any grief, > proof, says the prosecutor, of his irredeemably callous nature. Camus summed > up the novel's lesson in a single sentence. "In our society, any man who > doesn't cry at his mother's funeral is liable to be condemned to death." > And the president's supporters on the Christian Right will surely be worried > to hear of him dabbling in one of the most anti-religious of novels. After > he is sentenced, Meursault is visited in his cell by a priest whose > consolation he furiously rejects. Camus makes sure we admire his narrator's > indignation at the illusions the chaplain peddles. > All this is disturbing proof that George W is not the weird being that we > had all liked to suppose. A few months ago, Camus' novel came top in a poll > conducted for G2 among male Guardian-reading types, who were asked what book > had most influenced them. The Outsider beat off JD Salinger's The Catcher in > the Rye and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five to claim the distinction of > the book most likely to have changed their lives. Oh dear. Perhaps, chaps, > George is one of us > ---- > > George Bush speaks on Albert Camus' "The Stranger" by Dood Abides > President Bush speaking with Charade reporter Mustafa Bin-Karaze from > the "Western White House" > http://www.unconfirmedsources.com/?itemid=1848 > <<PBrush>> > > Charade Magazine ( by Mustafa Bin-Karaze) - President Bush, just finishing > up a small vacation in Crawford Texas, did what many Americans do on > vacation, he took the time to read a book. He dedicated a brief portion of > his vacation ito reading a work by one of France's most celebrated authors, > Albert Camus, "The Stranger". The President stated that the book made a real > impression upon him, and Charade Magazine in an exclusivity interview was > able to allow the president a venue to share some of his thoughts on this > literary masterpiece: Charade: Thank you Mr. President, for allowing us a > little time out of your busy schedule for this interview. > Bush: You're welcome. As you probably know I was over in Europe last month > sort of hobnobbing with the leaders there, doing a lot of hard work with > treaties and negotiations and decisions and such. I'm proud to say that > we've come a long way in restoring a lot of relationships, especially with > the French. It was suggested that I might want to read this book to > understand their culture. I must say, I think they make a little more sense > to me now. > > Charade: So tell us, Mr. President, what was the story of "The Stranger" > about, and what impressed you so much? > > Bush: Well the story is about this fellow... and I always have trouble with > names... it started with an M... French sounding... and he smoked a lot... > we'll call him Marlboro. This guy Marlboro finds out one day that his > Mee-Maw died, that's how the book starts, it says, "Mee-Maw died today". You > can tell that he's pretty broken up about it because he doesn't show it, but > nobody else seems to get it. > > Charade: Is this the part of "The Stranger" that you found so compelling? > > Bush: Well, maybe... my mom hasn't died yet... I don't think... I haven't > spoken to her in a little while... but this guy Marlboro was pretty > interesting. He worked hard, and really had an eye for the women. He liked > to smoke and drink, and he took a lot of naps, too. > > Charade: So you really have a lot of things in common with the main > character? > > Bush: Maybe... but not so much anymore. I think what I liked the most was > the author's stress on the importance of morals and Christian beliefs. This > guy Marlboro was kind of a tragi-comic figure... like Karl said, I seem to > remember that term from English class. You really admire him for standing > behind his beliefs and not wagering in adversity. But, in the end it's > pretty sad when you come to realize that this keeps him from accepting Jesus > as his savior. > > Charade: Are there any lessons from the novel that you plan to incorporate > in your own life and in your position as president? > > Bush: The book really does inspire you to be able to stick by your guns when > you're surrounded by a lot of gloom-doomers and naysayers. I also liked the > fact that someone could be prosecuted for not thinking and believing in an > acceptable way... France has obviously changed a lot since the time of > Shamu. I think literature is always open to interpretation, just like > diplomacy... as we are faced with the possibility of impending peace in the > conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, it is important for us to not give up > all hope. > > Charade: Thank you, Mr. President, for sharing your thoughts and feelings. > > Bush: Always a pleasure... but I feel like they're decisions more than > anything else. > -- This is ZESTGlobal. Post articles on international affairs to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTGlobal by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/join/ Yahoo! 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