Navigating the Absurd in Paulo Coelho’s The Zahir (2005) Through Albert Camus’s “The Myth of Sisyphus” (1942)

جادسيد جاد علي, مني

doi:10.21608/artdau.2025.341814.1324

Navigating the Absurd in Paulo Coelho’s The Zahir (2005) Through Albert Camus’s “The Myth of Sisyphus” (1942)

نوع المستند : المقالات البحثية

المؤلف

مني جادسيد جاد علي

مدرس الأدب الإنجليزي- قسم اللغة الإنجليزية - كلية الآداب- جامعة الدلتا للعلوم والتكنولوجيا.

10.21608/artdau.2025.341814.1324

المستخلص

This paper explores the application of Albert Camus’s philosophy of the absurd, as articulated in “The Myth of Sisyphus” (1942), to Paulo Coelho's novel The Zahir (2005). It investigates how Camus’s existential concepts of absurdity, revolt, freedom, and passion resonate within Coelho's narrative of personal obsession and spiritual awakening. The analysis highlights thematic parallels between Sisyphus's eternal struggle and Coelho's protagonist’s quest for meaning amidst an indifferent universe, framing The Zahir as a modern literary embodiment of absurdist philosophy. It demonstrates how the protagonist’s journey mirrors the Sisyphean struggle against the absurd, reflecting human resilience and the quest for authenticity. By juxtaposing the existential dilemmas faced by Camus’s Sisyphus and Coelho’s narrator, this paper underscores their shared resistance to despair and acceptance of life’s inherent contradictions. The study further reveals The Zahir as a transformative lens through which to reinterpret Camusian themes, bridging Mid-20th-century existentialism with contemporary explorations of love, freedom, and self-discovery. This synthesis affirms the enduring relevance of absurdist philosophy in understanding human experience across time and culture. The paper contains two main parts: the first part throws the light on Camus’s absurd as presented in “The Myth of Sisyphus”. The second part is an analysis of Coelho’s The Zahir through the lens of Camus’s philosophy, looking for instances where Coelho's characters or narrative elements align with or diverge from Camus’s concepts.

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