- Albert Camus, accepting his Nobel Prize on 12/10/1957
Hear part of his speech here.
Translation, as provided by nobelprize.org:
… often he who has chosen the fate of the artist because he felt himself to be different soon realizes that he can maintain neither his art nor his difference unless he admits that he is like the others. The artist forges himself to the others, midway between the beauty he cannot do without and the community he cannot tear himself away from. That is why true artists scorn nothing: they are obliged to understand rather than to judge.
The translation misses at least one nice phrase. Camus talks about the artist forging himself “dans cet aller retour perpetuel de lui aux autres,” which my atrophied French takes to mean that the artist forges himself “in this perpetual roundtrip from himself to others.” The translation of “s’arracher” as “tear himself away” is correct. But “arracher” is a great verb because it sounds like ripping. We lose that in English.
My favorite part, the part that made me post this, comes at the end of the quote: “true artists scorn nothing: they are obliged to understand rather than to judge.” And again, the French has a worthwhile twist: Rather than true artists who “are obliged to understand rather than to judge,” I read it as Camus talking about true artists “obliging themselves to understand rather than to judge.” It’s active. It’s a choice.
