Penguin Modern Classics

''A story for our, and all, times'' Guardian

Set in a town consumed by a deadly virus, The Plague is Albert Camus''s world-renowned fable of fear and courage

The townspeople of Oran are in the grip of a deadly plague, which condemns its victims to a swift and horrifying death. Fear, isolation and claustrophobia follow as they are forced into quarantine. Each person responds in their own way to the lethal disease: some resign themselves to fate, some seek blame, and a few, like Dr Rieux, resist the terror.

An immediate triumph when it was published in 1947, The Plague is in part an allegory of France''s suffering under the Nazi occupation, and a story of bravery and determination against the precariousness of human existence.

''A matchless fable of fear, courage and cowardice'' Independent

''Magnificent'' The Times