as the European coloniser. He not only feeds the prisoner, but chooses to eat with him as well. He doesn't fear the prisoner, as he doesn't feel the need to protect himself and actually wants the prisoner to escape. However, by giving it the title of "The Guest," the meaning changes dramatically, as Daru is merely understood to be a European guest under the watchful gaze of an unseen enemy who views him as an outsider. Reception In 1957, the same year that "The Guest" was published, Camus was acknowledged for his work by receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature. Anders Österling, the secretary of the Swedish Academy, notably attributed Camus' Algerian heritage as being fundamental to his many achievements. In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Camus specifically asked to be called a French Algerian, thereby refusing to choose one country over the other. Documentary filmmaker, Yazid Ait Mahieddine, claims Camus to be "the single reason people outside Algeria know about this country...He is our only ambassador." While he continues to be taught across the world, with "The Guest" being one of his most anthologized stories, Camus is still not celebrated within Algeria, with many of his books being hard to find. While his influence has never truly gone away in France, in his native Algeria, Camus suffers far more scrutiny because according to Smithsonian contributor, Joshua Hammer, Camus "represents an Algeria that essentially is banished from the map, an Algeria of the pieds-noirs...It was a very segregated society, he really didn't know the Arab world." In fact, many, including Tunisian writer Albert Memmi, saw Camus as well-intentioned, if not a little misguided, in his attempt to refrain from choosing a side in the conflict but still saw him as a colonizer. These same criticisms that Camus struggled with during his lifetime, and still loom large over his legacy today, can be made against Daru who ends up alienating himself from both sides by refusing to stray from his own code of ethics, even at his personal expense. Film David Oelhoffens film Far from Men (2014) is based on the short story. It stars Viggo Mortensen as Daru and Reda Kateb as the prisoner. The film played in competition at the 71st Venice International Film Festival, where it won three awards. References Short stories by Albert Camus 1957 short stories Existentialist short stories Short stories set in Algeria Short stories