The Outsider (or The Stranger) by Albert Camus (1942) | A great introduction to existentialist thought. It had a profound effect on me. A simple plot that poses many questions... Meursault will not lie. When his mother dies, he refuses to show his emotions simply to satisfy the expectations of others. After committing a random act of violence he finds himself in court. But is he on trial for the violence or his refusal to mourn? Essential.