About
Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) was a major figure of existentialism and feminism. She passed the agrégation in philosophy in 1929 and shared her intellectual life with Jean-Paul Sartre. Her essay The Second Sex (1949) is a foundational text of feminist thought. As a novelist, she won the Prix Goncourt for The Mandarins (1954). Her work explores freedom, moral ambiguity, and the condition of women through essays, novels, and a four-volume autobiography.
* 1908-01-09 — † 1986-04-14
Major works
- Le Deuxième Sexe (1949)essay
- Les Mandarins (1954)novel
- Pour une morale de l'ambiguïté (1947)philosophical essay
- Mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée (1958)autobiography
- La Vieillesse (1970)essay
Key milestones
- 1929Passes the agrégation in philosophy, placing second to Jean-Paul Sartre.
- 1945Co-founds the review Les Temps modernes with Sartre.
- 1954Wins the Prix Goncourt for her novel The Mandarins.
Themes
FeminismExistentialismFreedomMoral ambiguityOld age and death
Sources: plato.stanford.edu · britannica.com · bnf.fr