About the work
The Misunderstanding is a three-act play by Albert Camus, written in 1943 in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon during the German occupation of France. It premiered on 24 August 1944 at the Théâtre des Mathurins in Paris, directed by Marcel Herrand; the German-language premiere followed in 1950 at the Staatstheater Stuttgart.
Plot
After twenty years abroad, Jan returns to his mother and sister Martha, who run a remote inn; he withholds his identity, waiting for a sign of love. Because mother and sister kill and rob wealthy guests to fund their escape from the town, he too becomes their unrecognised victim — only his papers reveal the truth afterward.
Cultural significance
Camus conceived the play as an attempt at modern tragedy and a 'cool experiment' on the theme of the absurd; alongside Caligula, it remains one of his early plays still regularly staged today.