Reading Camus

Sometimes one squeezes a book like a sponge
To wring out its subcutaneous truths,
To ascertain why, when it first appeared,
It resonated with many a reader.
Time and place and especially language
Can distance a work from its motherly niche,
Its enshrinement in public opinion, and even
Invert perception, impressions, and sense.
How fragile fiction can be when balanced
On history, politics, and custom;
How imperiled its future reception becomes
When progress spins the cultural compass.