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- Альбер Камю
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- Стр. 1/187
The plague
It
is
as
reasonable
to
represent
one
kind
of
imprisonment
by
another
,
as
it
is
to
represent
anything
that
really
exists
by
that
which
exists
not
.
DANIEL
DEFOE
The
peculiar
events
that
are
the
subject
of
this
history
occurred
in
194
—
,
in
Oran
.
The
general
opinion
was
that
they
were
misplaced
there
,
since
they
deviated
somewhat
from
the
ordinary
.
At
first
sight
,
indeed
,
Oran
is
an
ordinary
town
,
nothing
more
than
a
French
Prefecture
on
the
coast
of
Algeria
.
It
has
to
be
said
that
the
town
itself
is
ugly
.
Its
appearance
is
calm
and
it
takes
some
time
to
appreciate
what
makes
it
different
from
so
many
other
trading
ports
all
over
the
world
.
How
can
one
convey
,
for
example
,
the
idea
of
a
town
without
pigeons
,
without
trees
or
gardens
,
where
you
hear
no
beating
of
wings
or
rustling
of
leaves
,
in
short
,
a
neutral
place
?
The
change
of
season
can
only
be
detected
in
the
sky
.
Spring
declares
itself
solely
in
the
quality
of
the
air
or
the
little
baskets
of
flowers
that
street
-
sellers
bring
in
from
the
suburbs
;
this
is
a
spring
that
is
sold
in
the
market
-
place
.
In
summer
the
sun
burns
the
dried
-
out
houses
and
covers
their
walls
with
grey
powder
;
at
such
times
one
can
no
longer
live
except
behind
closed
shutters
.
In
autumn
,
on
the
contrary
,
there
are
inundations
of
mud
.
Fine
weather
arrives
only
with
winter
.
A
convenient
way
of
getting
to
know
a
town
is
to
find
out
how
people
work
there
,
how
they
love
and
how
they
die
.
In
our
little
town
,
perhaps
because
of
the
climate
,
all
these
things
are
done
together
,
with
the
same
frenzied
and
abstracted
air
.
That
is
to
say
that
people
are
bored
and
that
they
make
an
effort
to
adopt
certain
habits
.
Our
fellow
-
citizens
work
a
good
deal
,
but
always
in
order
to
make
money
.
They
are
especially
interested
in
trade
and
first
of
all
,
as
they
say
,
they
are
engaged
in
doing
business
.
Naturally
,
they
also
enjoy
simple
pleasures
:
they
love
women
,
the
cinema
and
sea
bathing
.
But
they
very
sensibly
keep
these
activities
for
Saturday
evening
and
Sunday
,
while
trying
on
other
days
of
the
week
to
earn
a
lot
of
money
.
In
the
evenings
,
when
they
leave
their
offices
,
they
gather
at
a
set
time
in
cafes
,
they
walk
along
the
same
boulevard
or
else
they
come
out
on
their
balconies
.
The
desires
of
the
youngest
among
them
are
short
and
violent
,
while
the
lives
of
their
elders
are
limited
to
clubs
for
players
of
boules
,
dinners
of
friendly
associations
or
groups
where
they
bet
heavily
on
the
turn
of
a
card
.
You
will
say
no
doubt
that
this
is
not
peculiar
to
our
town
and
that
,
when
it
comes
down
to
it
,
people
today
are
all
like
that
.
Of
course
,
there
is
nothing
more
normal
nowadays
than
to
see
people
work
from
morning
to
evening
,
then
choose
to
waste
the
time
they
have
left
for
living
at
cards
,
in
a
cafe
or
in
idle
chatter
.
But
there
are
towns
and
countries
where
people
do
occasionally
have
an
inkling
of
something
else
.
On
the
whole
,
it
does
not
change
their
lives
;
but
they
did
have
this
inkling
,
and
that
is
positive
in
itself
.
Oran
,
on
the
other
hand
,
appears
to
be
a
town
without
inklings
,
that
is
to
say
,
an
entirely
modern
town
.
As
a
result
it
is
not
necessary
to
describe
in
detail
how
people
here
love
one
another
.
Men
and
women
either
consume
each
other
rapidly
in
what
is
called
the
act
of
love
,
or
else
enter
into
a
long
-
lasting
,
shared
routine
.
Often
there
is
no
middle
between
these
two
extremes
.
That
,
too
,
is
original
.
In
Oran
,
as
elsewhere
,
for
want
of
time
and
thought
,
people
have
to
love
one
another
without
knowing
it
.
Something
more
distinctive
about
our
town
is
how
difficult
it
can
be
to
die
there
.
"
Difficult
"
is
not
actually
the
right
word
;
it
is
more
a
question
of
discomfort
.
It
is
never
pleasant
being
ill
,
but
there
are
towns
and
countries
which
support
you
in
sickness
and
where
one
can
,
as
it
were
,
let
oneself
go
.
A
sick
person
needs
tenderness
,
he
quite
naturally
likes
to
lean
on
something
.
But
in
Oran
,
the
extreme
climate
,
the
amount
of
business
going
on
,
the
insignificance
of
the
surroundings
,
the
speed
with
which
night
falls
and
the
quality
of
pleasure
,
all
demand
good
health
.
A
sick
person
is
very
lonely
here
.
So
just
think
of
one
who
is
about
to
die
,
trapped
behind
hundreds
of
walls
sizzling
with
heat
,
while
at
the
same
time
there
are
all
those
people
,
on
the
telephone
or
in
cafes
,
talking
of
drafts
,
of
bills
of
lading
and
of
discounts
.
You
will
understand
what
could
be
disagreeable
about
death
,
even
a
modern
one
,
when
it
happens
in
such
a
dry
place
.
Even
so
this
meagre
information
may
give
a
sufficient
idea
of
our
town
.
In
any
event
,
one
should
not
exaggerate
.
It
is
important
to
stress
the
ordinariness
of
the
town
and
its
life
.
But
one
easily
passes
the
time
away
when
one
has
a
routine
.
To
the
very
extent
that
our
town
encourages
routine
,
one
might
say
that
all
is
for
the
best
.
Admittedly
,
seen
like
that
,
life
is
not
too
exciting
.
At
least
disorder
is
unknown
among
us
.
And
our
people
,
open
,
likeable
and
energetic
,
have
always
elicited
a
fair
degree
of
respect
from
travellers
.
This
town
,
which
has
nothing
picturesque
about
it
,
no
vegetation
and
no
soul
,
comes
eventually
to
seem
restful
;
in
short
,
induces
sleep
.
But
it
is
only
fair
to
add
that
it
is
situated
in
an
unrivalled
countryside
,
in
the
midst
of
a
bare
plain
surrounded
by
luminous
hills
,
at
the
edge
of
a
perfectly
formed
bay
.
One
can
only
regret
that
it
was
built
with
its
back
turned
to
the
bay
and
that
,
as
a
result
,
it
is
impossible
to
see
the
sea
.
You
always
have
to
go
and
look
for
it
.
