'A Happy Death' by Albert Camus. The novel's protagonist, Patrice Mersault, is searching for his
own happiness. Initially his quest is complicated by money, or better said by the lack of it, but then he finds a way out of his misery. Through his lover, Marthe, he meets a man in a
wheelchair, a man who is in the possession a large fortune. This man teaches Patrice that money and free time are indeed the foundations of happiness. Despite being forced to spend his days in a wheelchair, this man is happy because he can enjoy the time that Mersault lacks (for, Mersault must work hard for his money). The man in the wheelchair has deposited his money, together with his will, in his own room. Should he ever find his own life too tragic to endure, he says, he would shoot himself with the revolver he keeps at hand. The following day, Mersault shoots the man and -whilst fleeing from the scene of the crime- catches a cold that he will never fully be able to cure. A new luxurious life begins for Mersault, he decides to go travelling around Europe, and -after his return to Algeria- continues to lead the lifestyle of a dandy. Nevertheless, he is now plagued by his ill health. His cold finally develops into a serious enflamation, from which he consequently dies. Camus has incorporated many of his own life experiences into the writing of this
novel, 'A Happy Death' , such as his financial misery after completing his university degree, the end of his love affair, his own travels through Europe (for example to Prague, Breslau, and Vienna). These parallels between himself and the novel's Protagonist were the reason why Camus attempted to postpone the publication of this book. The novel was therefore published only after his death.