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I think probably some of the comments that have come out about Camus start to paint a picture of him for me. Oran was a town in which he had a bad experiences - a particular harsh bout of tuberculosis which prevented him from swimming, something I understand he was very fond of.
I think he's taken his vengeance on the town in this book.
I agree with some of the comments about him being a little heavy-handed. There are some references to war throughout which makes the allegory a little less subtle than I thought it would be.
The comments about his treatment of women were equally interesting to me. I don't really hold many expectations of equal treatment or consideration from some of these "greats" in literature. But I'm also rather insensitive to it as a reader. Dostoyevsky and Camus tends to pass me by without me noticing the lack of balance until someone brings my attention to it.
I have always elevated Camus in my mind as a great writer, mainly on the strength of The Outsider. I have read very little about him as a person, but from that suspected I probably wouldn't have liked him as a person. Just a gut feel really.
But I did really enjoy reading The Plague. I didn't find it dull - although a bit heavier in some parts. Tarrou finally succumbing in the last part of the book found a sweet spot for me and the treatment of aftermath echoed for me after the last pages were read - especially people being shown around to where particular events occurred; the tragic already made a spectacle.
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