Yes, Benjamin Fondane is known to have had a significant influence on Albert Camus. Fondane was a Romanian-born poet, philosopher, and literary critic who lived in France in the early 20th century. He was a key figure in the Surrealist movement and was also interested in existential philosophy.
Camus, who was also a French writer and philosopher, was introduced to Fondane's work in the early 1930s and was deeply impressed by his writings on literature, philosophy, and art. Camus was particularly drawn to Fondane's emphasis on the importance of individual freedom and his critique of totalitarianism.
Camus later acknowledged the influence of Fondane on his own work, and in a 1957 essay entitled "Betwixt and Between," he wrote: "Fondane was one of the rare thinkers who have enriched our modern thought with a new dimension of passion and freedom." Camus also dedicated his play "Caligula" to Fondane, who was murdered by the Nazis in 1944.
Overall, while Camus was influenced by a number of writers and philosophers, including Jean-Paul Sartre and Friedrich Nietzsche, it is clear that Benjamin Fondane played an important role in shaping his intellectual and artistic development.
