Albert Camus: écrivain sportif ou sportif littéraire?
My point de départ is a selection of quotes by Albert Camus, arguably my favourite five; these are not in priority order, although the last will give a clue as to the conclusion of my topic.
Je ne connais qu’un devoir : c’est celui d’aimer
Au milieu de l’hiver, j’ai découvert en moi un invincible été
C’est cela l’amour, tout donner, tout sacrifier sans espoir de retour
La vraie générosité envers l’avenir consiste à tout donner au présent
Tout ce que je sais de plus sûr à propos de la moralité et des obligations des hommes, c’est au football que je le dois
For non-francophone readers, the translation of each quote is after the Fun bite
As a former teacher (I still like to think of myself as an educator in the wider sense of the word), inspirational quotes were helpful when delivering a school assembly or as a pointer in the classroom.
Albert Camus was born in 1913 in a poor area of Algiers. His father, who died at the first battle of the Marne in 1914, was French and his mother was Spanish. He was a brilliant scholar and was diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of 17 (tantamount to a death sentence in the 1930s). Furthermore, whilst young, he read a description of his father’s reaction to witnessing an execution; this led to his Réflexions sur la guillotine. The impact of these three experiences triggered an ‘awakening’(éveil) concerning the absurdity of life, then an ethic of revolt, yet a love for life and nature (especially the Algerian sun and sea, as well as the world of the senses, hence the ‘lyricism’ that pervades much of his writing, especially in Noces, L’envers et l’endroit, and parts of L’Etranger and L’exil et le royaume).
The tragic death in a car crash in 1960 at such a young age deprived the world of a great thinker and writer. I often wonder what more would have been written. Furthermore, following the ‘themes’ of the absurd and revolt, the latter as a response to our human condition, where would Camus have taken his literary output?
Would a more Christian stance have ensued (the autobiographical, adamic, unfinished and posthumously-published Le premier homme may suggest so)? It is a novel that Camus wanted to be “heavy with things and flesh” and of basic and essential things: childhood; schooldays; the life of the body; the power of the sun and the sea; the painful love of a son for his mother; the search for a lost father. It is also about the history of a colonial people in a vast and not always hospitable African landscape, about the complex relationship of a “mother” country to its colonists, and about the intimate effects of war as well as political revolution.
Albert Camus (front, with cap)
Would Camus have returned to his early passion? Until his tuberculosis diagnosis, he had been an enthusiastic and talented goalkeeper in his native Algeria with a junior team of RUA (Racing Universitaire d’Alger), but was forced to give up the game aged 17. Nonetheless, Camus remained a great fan of the sport throughout his life. When he moved to Paris, he supported Racing Club de Paris, purely because they played in blue and white hoops, the same strip as his old club.
His strong affection for RUA was such that he wrote a lengthy article for the club magazine in April 1953.
When Camus won the Nobel Literature Prize, the weekly magazine France Football asked him to contribute a piece (click on the following link to read it in French).
https://www.scottishsporthistory.com/uploads/3/3/6/0/3360867/camus_article_text.pdf
A couple of years later, Camus reinforced his point about the importance of football in an interview: “What little I know about morality, I learned it on football pitches and theatre stages - these were my true universities”.
Football intellectuals are common these days, but in the 1950s, Albert Camus was a trailblazer for the ‘socceratis’ to follow. What would he make of his countryman, Eric Cantona, especially the infamous “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea”?
I now include some quotes by a small selection of French footballers and one Brazilian great, past and present (try and match the quote to the jumbled list of players):
I was lucky to come from a difficult area. It teaches you not just about football but also life
For me, football is more than a sport, just look at the impact it has on society
Politicians are there to try to deal with stuff, but sometimes it’s both fortunate and unfortunate that people like us have more... not involvement, but more power in the stuff that we say
Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string
In tough times, that’s when you see true colours and personality
[Deschamps/Zidane/Pelé/Henry/Mbappé]
Post-teaching career, I now find myself working in a professional footballing environment, admittedly not as a player, with the demands and pressures attached, nor at a trophy-laden club, such as Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, or Paris Saint Germain.
Whilst my role as a sartorial logistics administrator with a 1 st team squad is rewarding and useful, I am not a Maradona, a Platini, or a Cruyff. However, I can witness the life lessons that football (sport, in general) brings, teaches, and enhances.
Albert Camus valued the importance of football in life, as much, if not more, than philosophy, literature, or politics.
1. It teaches resilience, structure, and communication
2. It requires discipline, dedication, and enthusiasm
3. It creates a positive mentality, leadership, and responsibility
4. It shows how to compete and be accountable
5. It fosters an ethic of respect
6. It heals divisions and rifts
7. It transcends life’s adversities and is a uniting force
The last point is epitomised par excellence through the French football squad that won the 1998
World Cup on home soil. This was a group of players and management as a powerful symbol of a multicultural France, with individuals of diverse ethnic and immigrant backgrounds; it was celebrated as the Rainbow Team. The victory was seen as a catalyst for change, especially the hope for a more inclusive society. The symbolism can be broken down as follows:
Multicultural ideal
National unity
“Black, Blanc, Beur”
“L’effet Zidane”
Beyond sport
Political impact
I started with one of France’s greatest literary giants and concluded with arguably France’s greatest football team. My point: literature creates and transports us to other worlds; football is equally artistic and has the ability to bring a joie de vivre in our world.
Fun bite
A selection of amusing football quotes:
I couldn’t settle in Italy; it was like living in a foreign country
Ian Rush displays such brilliant intelligence.
I’ve had 14 bookings this season; eight of which were my fault, but seven of which were disputable
Paul Gascoigne proves his worth as a revolutionary mathematician
I think that France, Germany, Spain, Holland and England will join Brazil in the semi-finals
At the World Cup, Pele proves his worth as a footballing legend
Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that – Bill Shankly
And 2 from Brian Clough:
I wouldn’t say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one
If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there
Camus quote translations:
o I know but one duty: that is to love
o In the depths of winter, I discovered an invincible summer within me
o This is love, to give one’s all, to sacrifice everything without the hope of anything in return
o True generosity to the future lies in giving our all to the present
o Everything that I most surely know about morality and human duty, I owe it to football
