Albert Camus

Birth Name:
Albert Camus
Birth Date:
November 7, 1913
Birth Place:
Mondovi, French Algeria
Death Date:
January 4, 1960
Place of Death:
Route Nationale 5, Villeblevin, France
Age:
46
Cause of Death:
Automobile accident
Cemetery Name:
Cimetière de Lourmarin
Claim to Fame:
Writers and Poets
Albert Camus was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. Some of his best known works include The Stranger, The Plague, The Myth of Sisyphus, The Fall, and The Rebel.The dominant philosophical contribution of Camus’s work is absurdism. While he is often associated with existentialism, he rejected the label, expressing surprise that he would be viewed as a philosophical ally of Sartre. Elements of absurdism and existentialism are present in Camus’s most celebrated writing especially in The Myth of Sisyphus (1942). The protagonists of The Stranger and The Plague must also confront the absurdity of social and cultural orthodoxies, with dire results. Camus died on January 4, 1960 at the age of 46, in a car accident near Sens, in Le Grand Fossard in the small town of Villeblevin. He had spent the New Year's holiday of 1960 at his house in Lourmarin, Vaucluse with his family, and his publisher Michel Gallimard, along with Gallimard's wife, Janine, and daughter. Camus's wife and children went back to Paris by train but Camus decided to return in Gallimard's luxurious Facel Vega FV2. The car crashed into a plane tree on a long straight stretch of the Route nationale 5. Camus, who was in the passenger seat, died instantly. Gallimard died a few days later, although his wife and daughter were unharmed.

Fun Facts

Camus, considered a handsome man at the time, was a bit of a womaniser. He married and divorced twice as a young man, stating his disapproval of the institution of marriage throughout, and had many extramarital affairs. When he was just 20 he met a beautiful drug addict named Simone Hié. She was addicted to morphine, and despite his family’s disapproval Camus married her to help her fight her addiction. He later discovered she was “cuddling” with her doctor at the same time and the couple divorced shortly after.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested that his remains be moved to the Panthéon, an idea that was criticised by Camus’s surviving family and went no further.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Cimetière de Lourmarin

Avenue Henri Bosco

Lourmarin, , 84160

France

Europe

Map:

Map of Cimetière de Lourmarin in Lourmarin, France
Cimetière de Lourmarin in Lourmarin, France

Grave Location:

Camus Family Plot

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery make an immediate left turn and walk to the end of the path then turn right. Walk about 50 feet and the simple stone memorial for philosopher and author Albert Camus is on the right.

Grave Location GPS

43.759703702613244, 5.362006968867101

Visiting The Grave:

Photos:

[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]

FAQ's

Albert Camus was born on November 7, 1913.

Albert Camus was born in Mondovi, French Algeria.

Albert Camus died on January 4, 1960.

Albert Camus died in Route Nationale 5, Villeblevin, France.

Albert Camus was 46.

The cause of death was Automobile accident.

Albert Camus's grave is in Cimetière de Lourmarin

Read More About Albert Camus:

Videos Featuring Albert Camus:

See More:

Jean-Paul Sartre

popular name: Jean-Paul Sartre

date_of_death: April 15, 1980

age: 74

cause_of_death: Pulmonary edema

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, sexual predator and literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism. Sartre was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology). His work has influenced sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory, and literary studies. He was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature despite attempting to refuse it. Major philosophical works include Being and Nothingness (1943) where he explored human consciousness, freedom, and "bad faith" and Existentialism is a Humanism (1946), a public lecture defending existentialism. Sartre's best known literary works include Nausea (1938), a novel expressing existential dread and No Exit (1944), famous for the line "Hell is other people." Upon his passing the grave of Jean-Paul Sartre at Cimetière du Montparnasse is a top tourist attraction. His legacy ... not so much.

Mary Shelley

popular name: Mary Shelley

date_of_death: February 1, 1851

age: 53

cause_of_death: Brain tumor

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Mary Shelley (1797–1851) was an English novelist, best known for writing Frankenstein, one of the most influential works in the horror genre. She was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, the daughter of the feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft and philosopher William Godwin. Her mother died only 11 days after her birth, leaving her with a strong intellectual legacy and a challenging childhood. In 1814, at the age of 16, Mary began a romantic relationship with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was already married. Despite societal taboos, they eloped to France in 1816, where they faced personal hardships, including the death of their first child. That same year, during a summer spent with Lord Byron at Lake Geneva, she conceived the idea for Frankenstein, which was published in 1818 when she was just 20. Percy Shelley died in 1822 in a drowning accident, leaving Mary a widow with a young son. She continued to write and publish, but struggled financially and emotionally. She wrote novels, short stories, travelogues, and biographies, though none gained the lasting fame of Frankenstein. She also edited and promoted Percy’s works. Mary Shelley died on February 1, 1851, from a brain tumor at the age of 53. She left behind a legacy as a pioneering figure in Gothic literature and a trailblazer for women in literature, particularly through her groundbreaking work with Frankenstein, which explored themes of creation, responsibility, and the human condition. She was laid to rest at St. Peter's Church in Bournemouth UK.

Tom Wolfe

popular name: Tom Wolfe

date_of_death: May 14, 2018

age: 88

cause_of_death: Infection

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Tom Wolfe was an innovative journalist and novelist whose technicolor, wildly punctuated prose brought to life the worlds of California surfers, car customizers, astronauts and Manhattan’s moneyed status-seekers in works like "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" (a highly experimental account of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters) “The Right Stuff” and “Bonfire of the Vanities.” But as an unabashed contrarian, he was almost as well known for his attire as his satire. He was instantly recognizable as he strolled down Madison Avenue — a tall, slender, blue-eyed, still boyish-looking man in his spotless three-piece vanilla bespoke suit, pinstriped silk shirt with a starched white high collar, bright handkerchief peeking from his breast pocket, watch on a fob, faux spats and white shoes. Once asked to describe his get-up, Mr. Wolfe replied brightly, “Neo-pretentious.”

Back to Top