He celebrates. If we are all dying (which we are), then the only logical response is to burn as brightly as possible. The "summer" in Algiers represents the fleeting, intense, beautiful moment before the autumn of death.
The essay is not strictly narrative but flows through a series of vignettes and observations.
Albert Camus’s essay ( L'Été à Alger ), published in the 1938 collection Noces (Nuptials), is one of the most sensuous and philosophical evocations of place in literature. It is a love letter to the city, the Mediterranean sea, and a specific way of living that embraces the present moment.
Have you read Camus’s non-fiction? Does the idea of "living in the body" resonate with you or terrify you? Let me know in the comments below.
"In Algiers, you don't go to the movies to prepare for an exam. You go to live."
He moves to the shore. He describes young men diving into the water, the smell of mint tea and frying fish. He emphasizes the androgynous beauty of the youth—strong boys and athletic girls. Here, the body is displayed not for sin, but for the simple truth of existence. He famously writes, "For those who have a horizon, there is always a horizon."