The Göttinger Universitäts-Zeitung (Feb. 25, 1949) quoted Die Zeit as having, a fortnight before, ventilated a ‘literary scandal’. The novel by R. M. De’ Angelis, La peste a Urana, had appeared in 1943. Albert Camus’ novel, La peste, published in 1947, dealt with similar events relating to the same period (1943). ‘It is difficult’, says Die Zeit, ‘to think this a pure coincidence’; and the writer went on to state that in both books the plague broke out in a commercial city in Africa: an imaginary city (Urana) in De’ Angelis’ case, in Camus’ case the well-known city of Oran. (Die Zeit was wrong here: Urana is supposed to be in Italy, as any reader of De’ Angelis’ book can see). 

De’ Angelis had protested, added Die Zeit, taking Italian critics to task for not noticing the plagiarism. He had pointed out that only a French critic, Mme. Lucienne Jean-Darouy, had accused Camus of unacknowledged borrowing.