Home
/
Fiction
/
The First Man
The First Man
Aug 14, 2025 4:21 PM

Author:Albert Camus,David Hapgood

The First Man

The unfinished manuscript of The First Man was discovered in the wreckage of car accident in which Camus died in 1960. Although it was not published for over thirty years, it was an instant bestseller when it finally appeared in 1994. The 'first man' is Jacques Cormery, whose poverty-stricken childhood in Algiers is made bearable by his love for his silent and illiterate mother, and by the teacher who transforms his view of the world. The most autobiographical of Camus's novels, it gives profound insights into his life and the powerful themes underlying his work.

Reviews

A delightful and illuminating book.

—— John Whitley , Sunday Times

Maureen Duffy is one of Britain's foremost writers.

—— The Guardian

With Wounds [Maureen Duffy] injects into her writing a bitter and convincing compassion. The book is a macroscopic view of south London people, ordinary working class lives which come across with a reality so well defined that the act of reading is likely to send the reader into the middle of Clapham Common or Brockwell Park. People die, accept their inadequacies, express their eccentricities. There is dotty Kingy, a 'poor dusthole fairy', who forces the world to fit her own view, and suffers for it; the West Indian mother, whose demotic speech Miss Duffy catches with great skill, and her son, the archetypal misfit who seeks solace from a theatrical queer knowing that in the end he'll never make it.

—— Barry Cole , Spectator

The relationships form haphazardly, in working hours: at Maura's pub, mostly, or on the paper round. Only the reader is priveliged to see the jigsaw fit together, deepening their mutual understanding. And the prose matches this, choosing similes that are both powerful and apt, making the whole narrative colourful and poetic. It is a delightful and illuminating book.

—— John Whitley , Sunday Times

A wonderfully imaginative and well-written tale of intrigue, high court politics and desperate love

—— Deseret News

Laura Andersen creates a fresh and vividly realized alternative world

—— Susan Elia MacNeal, author of , Mr. Churchill’s Secretary

Full of intrigue, conspiracies, and the accurate details so essential to good historical fiction . . . Anyone who has even the slightest fascination with the Tudors will want to devour this delectable novel in a single sitting

—— Tasha Alexander , New York Times bestselling author of Death in the Floating City

The Boleyn King deftly blends compelling characters, flawless social history, and courtly romance into an enthralling tale that’s impossible to put down

—— Stefanie Pintoff, , Edgar Award–winning author of Secret of the White Rose

... highly entertains with its fine pacing, plot, and detail. Perfect for Philippa Gregory fans

—— Julie Trevelyan

A sumptuous, vividly imagined novel of a Boleyn king’s fateful rise to power amid the treacherous glamour of the Tudor court. A fantastic debut!

—— C. W. Gortner, author of , The Queen’s Vow

A fascinating journey into what might have been, this novel of alternate history will keep you turning the pages and leave you hoping for a sequel

—— Kate Emerson, author of , A Royal Inheritance

Fans of both Stephenie Meyer and Philippa Gregory will find much to love in this evocative and well-written debut

—— Francine Mathews, author of , Jack 1939

Immensely addictive and twisty—kudos to Laura Andersen for her crafty plotting and rich characterizations. Deliciously scandalous and seductive, The Boleyn King delivers history and romance with equal passion

—— Becca Fitzpatrick , New York Times bestselling author of Hush, Hush

From the intrigue of the Tudor court to the battlefields of France, you will be entranced by the power, emotion, and sweeping romance of this spellbinding novel. I loved it and can’t wait for the next book in the series!

—— Syrie James, bestselling author of , The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen

... a riveting page-turner ... For historical fiction fans and Tudor aficionados, The Boleyn King is a must-read

—— Sherry Jones, author of , Four Sisters, All Queens
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved