"The Myth of Sisyphus" is a philosophical essay by Albert Camus, originally published in French as Le Mythe de Sisyphe in 1942. Camus, influenced by philosophers such as Søren Kierkegaard, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Friedrich Nietzsche, introduces his philosophy of the absurd, exploring humanity's inherent desire for meaning in a universe that remains silent. The essay argues that recognizing this absurdity doesn't justify suicide but instead calls for revolt and outlines approaches to living an absurd life. The book has 185 pages in the original French edition.
Camus uses the Greek myth of Sisyphus, condemned to eternally roll a boulder uphill only to have it roll back down, as a metaphor for the human condition. He portrays Sisyphus as an absurd hero who embraces life fully despite its meaninglessness. Camus suggests that one must imagine Sisyphus happy, finding fulfillment in the struggle itself. "The Myth of Sisyphus" is often considered thematically linked to Camus's novel The Stranger, published in the same year. While Camus won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957, "The Myth of Sisyphus" itself has not received specific awards, but remains a significant work in existentialist literature. There are no direct film or TV adaptations of The Myth of Sisyphus.