this is just fascinating for me since I picked up The Stranger last week and am mesmerized by his writing style. The Plague is now next on my list. I don't want to compare him with others since he very much has a distinct & brilliant style (short crisp and far from pretentious - sentences are clear and appeal to uneducated riffraff like myself - think I have seen this also in Orwell and Hemingway). The feelings and emotions he raises in me are nevertheless similar to those I get when reading Kafka and Dostoevsky. Truly amazing being in this man's head. I only regret not having picked up his work sooner.