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:

John Steinbeck

popular name: John Steinbeck

date_of_death: December 20, 1968

age: 66

cause_of_death: Heart disease and congestive heart failure

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: John Steinbeck was an American author born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. Known for his keen social perception and deep empathy for the working class, Steinbeck wrote with a powerful sense of realism and compassion. His most celebrated works include The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and East of Eden, novels that often explore themes of economic hardship, human dignity, and the American Dream. Many of his stories are set in California and reflect the struggles of farmers, laborers, and outcasts during the Great Depression. Steinbeck's writing style combined lyrical prose with a journalistic eye for detail, making his work both emotionally resonant and socially conscious. He won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath in 1940 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. The grave of John Steinbeck can be found at the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Salinas, California.

Joseph Pulitzer

popular name: Joseph Pulitzer

date_of_death: October 29, 1911

age: 64

cause_of_death: Heart failure

claim_to_fame: Writers and Poets

best_know_for: Joseph Pulitzer was a Hungarian-born American newspaper publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the New York World. He became a leading national figure in the Democratic Party and was elected congressman from New York. He crusaded against big business and corruption, and helped keep the Statue of Liberty in New York. In the 1890s the fierce competition between his World and William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal caused both to develop the techniques of yellow journalism, which won over readers with sensationalism, sex, crime and graphic horrors. Today, his name is best known for the Pulitzer Prizes, which were established in 1917 as a result of his endowment to Columbia University. The prizes are given annually to recognize and reward excellence in American journalism, photography, literature, history, poetry, music, and drama. Pulitzer founded the Columbia School of Journalism by his philanthropic bequest; it opened in 1912.

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.

Back to Top