A Communist Party member in the 1930s, Camus became an independent political critic in the 1950s: an outspoken opponent of all forms of totalitarianism, he defended the libertarian principles of Western democracy.Along the way he involved himself in far-reaching intellectual quarrels such as that over his own L Homme revolte (The Rebel) with Jean-Paul Sartre, which this book examines in fascinating detail.Albert Camus offers illuminating insights into the relationship between intellectuals and politics; a serious contribution to the history of social, political, and ethical ideas."