Books: The Plague: The Need for Meaning Even in Uncontrollable and Dangerous Circumstances.

Abstract

Albert Camus Penguin Modern Classics, 2002, PB, 272pp, £7.99, 978-0141185132 Late one night, having finished a book, I wandered to my untidy shelves for inspiration. As if by some magic power, my eyes were swiftly drawn to a long untouched text called The Plague . One year on from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with a tendency to favour grim reality over escapism, I took it down to read. Searching the internet later to check if anyone else from the GP world had joined me, I found two esteemed colleagues writing in this column who had referenced it (https://bjgplife.com/absurdGP and https://bjgplife.com/xmas), both noting the eternal human struggle to make meaning out of uncontrollable events and challenges. And, unsurprisingly, other media writers had picked up the book and its relevance …