The stories of Exile and the Kingdom explore the dilemma of being an
outsider - even in one's own country - and of allegiance. With intense
power and lyricism, Camus evokes beautiful but harsh landscapes, whether
the shimmering deserts of his native Algeria or the wild, mysterious
jungles of Brazil.Here a Frenchwoman is gradually seduced by the sheer
difference of North Africa, a mutilated renegade is driven mad by the
cruelty of his own people, and a barrel-maker watches the slow decline of
his craft. A kindly teacher must choose between the law and a life, while a
modest painter is out of his depth in the hypocrisy of the art world, and a
French engineer discovers a new sense of belonging in a distant land.