Sunday, April 29, 2012

Ten of the best trials in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best trials in literature.

One entry on the list:
L'Étranger by Albert Camus

Meursault has shot an Arab man on the beach and is put on trial for his life. The prosecuting lawyer presents the court with evidence of his lack of grief at the recent funeral of his mother. Meursault fails to contradict this account or to express the remorse demanded of him. Sentenced to death, he anticipates his public execution with a kind of relish.
Read about another novel on the list.

The Stranger is on Seán McGrady's top 10 list of philosophers' novels and R.J. Ellory's five best list of French noir fiction. Meursault is one of Marcel Berlins's six top literary killers.

--Marshal Zeringue