Cross Purpose

play by Camus

Also known as: “Le Malentendu”

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June 25, 2026

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Cross Purpose is a play by Albert Camus, first produced in 1944. It is considered a landmark in the Theatre of the Absurd. The play explores themes of alienation and the meaninglessness of life, central to Camus's philosophical concept of the absurd.12

Camus, a Nobel Prize winner, often used his writings to examine the human condition in a universe devoid of inherent meaning. Cross Purpose reflects this philosophical exploration, questioning societal norms and individual existence. The play's themes resonate with his other works, such as The Stranger.21

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Albert Camus
Camus’s literary career
…output, although Le Malentendu (Cross Purpose) and Caligula, first produced in 1944 and 1945, respectively, remain landmarks in the Theatre of the Absurd. Two of his most enduring contributions to the theatre may well be his stage adaptations of William Faulkner’s Requiem for a Nun (Requiem pour une nonne;…
Read More
…output, although Le Malentendu (Cross Purpose) and Caligula, first produced in 1944 and 1945, respectively, remain landmarks in the Theatre of the Absurd. Two of his most enduring contributions to the theatre may well be his stage adaptations of William Faulkner’s Requiem for a Nun (Requiem pour une nonne;…
Read More