Giovanni Catelli

Albert Camus was a towering intellectual figure during and after the Second World War in France. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature and tried to stand for truth in an era of ideology. However, on January 4, 1960, he tragically died in his prime in a car wreck while traveling back to Paris. This book tries to make sense of this tragedy, approximately fifty years after.

Catelli excels at setting up the circumstantial case that the KGB (i.e., the Soviets) purposefully caused the car to crash through a bad tire. The cause of the wreck – the bad tire – is not disputed. Whether that tire was deliberately sabotaged and by whom are highly disputable items. It is hard to investigate such things fifty years later, and Catelli has no hard evidence tying the KGB or anyone else to the crime scene.

He does have interesting stories to share about the motive that the Soviets had to kill Camus. This book exposits just about every possible angle in ascertaining motive: Common contacts in Czechoslovakia, the penetration of French leadership by the Soviets, Camus’ stands against socialism, squelching a pro-democracy movement in Hungary, and more. Catelli explores it all.

But again, no new evidence is presented that ties any suspect to the crime scene, and virtually no evidence from the crime scene elucidates the cause of Camus’ tragic death. Any serious court of law would therefore reject Catelli’s attempt to prove criminal liability and guilt. He did much research to dig into this case, but the payoff simply was and is not there.

I find Camus a character and a thinker worthy of study amidst the turmoils of the twentieth century. His early death is likewise worthy of exploration because of its impact. That’s why I found this book worth my time. However, no definitive conclusions can be reached because of lack of hard evidence. If innuendo and hearsay interest you, this book has plenty of it. I just wouldn’t base any hard decisions in life on what really happened on January 4, 1960. The great philosopher Albert Camus died. That we know. We still don’t know a whole lot more.… (mer)