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A collection of letters by the author of Being and Nothingness depicts Sartre as a soldier, a prisoner of the Germans, and a man of Resistance and charts his path to fame with the publication of his major works. ... Read more

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He was France's best-known philosopher & chief arbiter of intellectual fashions; she was the most influential forerunner of today's feminist movement. Using newly available documentary evidence from diaries & letters, the authors shed astonishing new light on who the dominant partner was in this relationship. The book provides decisive insights into the lives, literature, & ideas of these major figures on the modern cultural scene & raises profound questions about the psychological needs, sexual politics, & bad faith that led Beauvoir & Sartre to give misleading accounts of the inner workings of their relationship. ... Read more

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Parallel lives
The surprise of this book is the extensive myth-making engaged in by Simone de Beauvoir in regard to the founding of French existentialist theory.It would seem that as school examiners noted, she was the better philosopher of the two, and it was she who devised existentialism in her novel SHE CAME TO STAY.

The cat was out of the bag, so to speak, when the war journals of Sartre were published just after his death.Simone de Beauvoir did some fast jockeying of dates which was not totally convincing to her biographer, these authors write.It would seem that she had gotten so used to the falsities presented to the world she could not bear to have the truth revealed, even when the truth was complimentary to her.

It is necessary to understand how revolutionary she was when she began writing in the 1930's and took the position that for the sake of freedom she must refuse the offer of marriage given to her by Sartre.It turns out that he was a very good at articulating the philosophy the couple devised. False stories did more than cover up de Beauvoir's evident orginality, they also covered up her sexual adventures which could have been misconstrued by the public in general.

The book is a delight.The writers give full praise to previous biographers.It is comforting to learn some truths since the myth-making did strike this reader as far-fetched.Nonetheless, one is left with a nagging sense that surely if philosophers fail to tell the truth, should not this mean that their worksbe taken less seriously.

Fullbrooks' False Claims
"Political correctness" has made it difficult to challenge even that part of the thesis of the Fullbrooks' book, Simone De Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre: The Remaking of a Twentieth-Century Legend, which relates strictly to the history of philosophy. Nevertheless, challenged it must be, and has been, contrary to the claims of Sharon Wright in her online review. What she calls their "impressive scholarship" has come under serious and precise attack from a number of quarters. What follows is simply the lead-in to an article that I myself published as early as 1995 ("Sartre and Beauvoir: Refining rather than 'Remaking' the Legend", Simone de Beauvoir Studies, vol. 12, 1995, pp. 91-99); the rest of that article goes on to justify my claims in detail.

"The crux of their argument is the assertion that Sartre's reading of the draft of L'Invitée during his leave in Paris between 4 and 16 February 1940 was what provided him with all or most of the crucial ideas that were to form the substance of L'Etre et le Néant. [...]Now, there are least four MAJOR flaws in this line of argument: (i) we do not know with certainty exactly what was in the parts of L'Invitée that Sartre read in February 1940; (ii) the argument ignores completely Beauvoir's acquaintance with drafts of Sartre's L'Age de raison, and also seriously underplays the philosophical content of those of Sartre's Carnets de la drôle de guerre that Beauvoir had read before February 1940; (iii) we DO know that Sartre had been working since the mid-1930s on the ideas that were to be central to L'Etre et le Néant; (iv) the momentous philosophical system that the Fullbrooks ascribe to Beauvoir is simply not to be found in even the final version of L'Invitée."

Since, as Sharon Wright points out, the Fullbrooks were far from the first to argue for the philosophical originality of Beauvoir, those of their claims that are demonstrably false have done nothing to promote this case. Rather, they have tended to obscure, and direct attention away from, many of the complex and fascinating questions concerning the relationship between the thought of Beauvoir and that of Sartre. What is more, some of the sensationalist, journalistic features of the style of the book have served to inflame sensitive issues that require particularly cool, rational treatment.

Seven Years After
No book on Beauvoir or Sartre has led to so much discussion, provoked such consternation or so changed the way we see these cultural icons as has Kate and Edward Fullbrook's "Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre: TheRemaking of a Twentieth-Century Legend".The basis of thisrecently republished book (which I had the pleasure of rereading last week)is disarmingly simple.The Fullbrooks checked out Beauvoir's and Sartre'snewly-available letters and diaries and found that the traditional storythat says the Beauvoir constructed her first novel "She Cme toStay" on the basis of philosophical ideas she took from Sartre's essay"Being and Nothingness" is the exact opposite of the truth. Sartre only began, the Fullbrooks carefully document, to compile notes horhis philosophical treatise after studying the second draft of Beauvoir'snovel.The Fullbrooks also, and again drawing on the letters, make thecase that it was Beauvoir's sexual promiscuity, rather than Sartre's thatinitially dictated the famous open terms of their 50-year relationship. All this radical post-patriarchal revisionism, which the Fullbrooksrefused to play down, was too much for many critcs when this book appearedin 1994.Some reviewers were apoplectic, others deeply sceptical, and the"New Yorl Times" twice ran long reviews warning their readersagainst this "feminist claptrap".But in fact theFullbrooks, in claiming philosophical originality for Beauvoir, werethemselves not so original as perhaps they and certainly their criticsimagined.Margaret Simons, Linda Singer and Sonia Kruks had previouslyargued the case for Beauvoir as an innovative philosopher and the source ofsome of Sartre's later ideas.The Fullbrooks' discoveries gave newsignificance to this prior scholarship and inspired Simons to go off insearch of Beauvoir's student diaries.(See Simons 1999)Simons'ssubsequent discoveries and the slow but continuing cultural shift away frompresuming that women are never the source of original ideas has taken awaysome of the shock value of the Fullbrooks' first book.Indeed, seven yearson and their impressive scholarship has never been seriously challanged. By now scores of Sartre scholars much have checked out the letters anddiaries and found, to their dismay, that the Fullbrooks did not make any ofit up. But although "Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre: TheRemaking of a Twentieth-Century Legend" through its success no longerenjoys the controversy it once did, it remains, with its compellingnarrative and writerly qualities, one of the best books evr written abouteither Beauvoir or Sartre.Even the "New York Times" had toadmit that it was good read.For capturing the spirit of thesetwentieth-century giants and their extraordinary relationship, this book isyet to be beaten. ... Read more

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Simone de Beauvoir was a philosopher and writer of notable range and influence whose work is central to feminist theory, French existentialism, and contemporary moral and social philosophy. The essays in this volume examine the major aspects of her thought.They explore her views on the role of biology, sexuality and sexual difference, and evil; the influence on her work of Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Husserl, and others; and the philosophical significance of her memoirs and fiction. ... Read more

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Paperback, name on inside front and back cover, pages a bit colored, excellent binding and clean inside pages. We ship fast. ... Read more

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A work of real meaning, despite,..
I could not quite make out how to perceive this book. On the one hand it is a testament of a lifelong friendship and love. On the other hand it seems to me it is an indictment of the beloved when they are no longer around to answer. And here the indictment comes not necessarily out of a desire to injure, but simply through stating the facts about certain aspects of Sartre's life. His capacity for multiple loyalty was very great especially when this had to do with young women. And according to other sources de Beauvoir's role in these relationships was not necessarily a very good one.
Still we are talking about two very significant 'minds' who fertilized each other- two great friends who helped and inspired each other- and if one , Sartre, was the senior partner, and the other deBeauvoir the survivor who has the last say still their dialogue and their life, and this work of farewell have real meaning.

Never thought that Sartre could make you cry?
Then you need to read this book.It is Simone de Beauvoir's first-person account of the last ten years of Sartre's life, and it is heartbreaking to read in several places.Her descriptions in particular of his final few days are wrenching, and I did actually cry as she described Sartre's death.The prose is characteristic of de Beauvoir: deeply and intimately detailed, meticulous, and dense in some places.But the reading is ultimately rewarding as it gives the reader an even more thorough understanding of the devoted side of de Beauvoir--and the very human and mortal side of the great philosopher Sartre.

A Beaver's Tale
Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre were *the* couple of the 20th century.For all the immense history they created, it may be beyond our ability to imagine just how and why they were first drawn together, or more why they *stayed* together right up until Sartre's death in 1980.This two-part memoir is remarkable for its poignant intimacy, first as an historical record from 1970-1980, and then as a transcription of de Beauvoir's own interviews with Sartre during that same period of time.These two were a rough mix, as though that was a revelation.And, ironically, it's perhaps de Beauvior's own deep emotional commitment that comes through most clearly in these pages.On the other hand, we're also offered a fascinating view of their long public life together.From the times of divided German-occupied France, to the political activism of the 60s and beyond...and, above all, the writings they produced!If anything, this book reveals how moot is the point of Sartre's caustic personality, and to what extent he may have "used" her.(As if a woman of this caliber *could* be used!)Their focus was always on the change they hoped to produce in the world.Well, and for de Beauvoir, at least, there was also the issue of their own personal relationship.Therein lies the charm of this book.You won't be disappointed. ... Read more

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"Happiness is a rarer vocation than people suppose."
Simone de Beauvoir is one of my favorite writers, and her books are always to be savored. This is the second volume of her autobiography, and covers her life as she leaves home and school until just the end of the war. If Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter was a record of her formative years, then this could be seen as a woman and a writer coming into her own.

As a reading experience, it isn't quite as engaging as Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter-- at least not initially. (Although, as I recall, I had some trouble getting into that book at first as well.) In these autobiographical efforts, de Beauvoir has a habit of minutely examining the past and her memory of how it all fit together. It makes sense with her project, and is part of what makes it rich. However, it can also make it challenging to read-- particularly when dealing with topics that are already as complex as philosophical and political development.

What I most took away from the book was the way that Beauvoir struggled with her vocation, and how she compared herself to Sartre in that sense. She says many times in many ways that unlike Sartre she saw her life as her goal and not her work and writing. She spends a lot of time examining what that meant in terms of how quickly she developed her novels. It's a question that I struggle with myself, and I found it quite rich to watch Beauvoir working it out during her young adult period.

Recommended, particularly if you have any particular interest in de Beauvoir as a writer and thinker, but I would naturally start with the first volume and not here. I read the edition with the translation by Peter Green, and while I cannot evaluate the quality of the translation, I at least did not trip over the text.

An adventurous ride through time
This second volume of de Beauvoir's autobiography made me feel as if I had been transported back in time, observing her daily activities, people she interacted with, and also made me think I was privy to her private thoughts, as I had with Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter, the first volume of her autobiography.

The Prime of Life continues her life from 1929--picking up where she left off in Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter and when she is finally independent of her parents, to the end of WWII--the Liberation of Paris.

After I finished the first volume, I couldn't imagine how another autobiography--a sequel, if you will, could be just as good, but Prime of Life IS equally good.

Her descriptions of enjoying her personal freedom captivated my imagination: being able to go wherever she wished, dress however she wished w/o care to what others may have thought, socialize with whomever she wished, etc. On her many travel adventures, alone,with and without Sartre. or other friends, she made me feel I was right there beside her, whether she was on one of her many walks into an unfamiliar town or moutain area, or riding alone in a train--imagining she was some kind of international spy! Or on a mountainous bicycle ride (and then having a near-fatal accident).

I was intrigued by her self-criticisms of her writing. And she had me engrossed in the many suspenseful moments of the second half of the book describing the war years--of the days leading up to it, the years of want during the war, and the Liberation.

It all was very exciting!

It's a lot of good food to digest for your mind.

Engaging personal experience of a worldwide story
This is the second volume of de Beauvoir's five-volume autobiograpy, and it covers 1929 to 1944.

This one was harder to break into than the first, I felt, as she began somewhat vaguely about her philosophy, the things she was working on, etc. The first part of the book vaguely and distantly describes the beginning of her relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre, so the personal is perhaps rather squashed here (maybe that's why I found it less engaging than "Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter" at first). But as I made my way forward, I found the same compelling qualities of the first, and more -- as de Beauvoir is older: Her interests and her circle of friends are expanding.

This book is interesting on so many levels, and I would recommend it to stand on its own (it doesn't have to be read as part of the whole), as well. It's interesting, as the first one was, for the way she describes her life in Paris at the time (she names all the cafes, neighborhoods, etc., that she frequents), and, as the first one, because it still dwells on how she is beginning her professional life that would lead her to be one of the foremost twentieth century philosophers and writers. So it's got something on both personal and broader themes.

But this book also adds the elements of the writer, as during its years, de Beauvoir writes her first books "She Came to Stay" and "The Blood of Others." I like to read about how writers work, their processes, and de Beauvoir very interestingly dissects her work in retrospect, writing things like, "What I was trying to accomplish at the time through Francoise's character was... but I see now that she comes across as ..." De Beauvoir was a very vigilant and disciplined worker, researcher and writer, and she writes of these routines. For writers interested in how others work, where they get their ideas and how they edit and redraft, I would certainly recommend this.

But this work is also interesting on another level; its most compelling part is when she details the beginning of WWII and the occupation of Paris. Rather than summarize it with the view the passing years have given her, de Beauvoir excerpts her diaries from the time, so that the reader feels the fears, understands the unknown dangers that she felt and gets the immediacy and intimacy of the worries of Parisiens such as de Beauvoir. I really couldn't put these sections down as she wrote about fleeing the Nazi occupiers, then deciding that if Sartre were released, he would only be able to find her in Paris and her desperate journey home again.

The book also starts a theme I can see will continue in all of them, outlining her travels as she (sometimes alone, sometimes with Sartre or others) goes around France and abroad and writes of how she feels and what she discovers there. In this volume, to name a few, she goes to Greece, Spain and all over
France.

The voice of these autobiographies is somewhat distant and aloof, which I find useful, as she seems intent on presenting her life very objectively, but when Sartre is attacked or criticized, she loses this coolness of tone and makes personal attacks on his critics.

The last aspect I'll mention of this long volume (nearly 500 pages) is the circle of friends she creates. She happens to befriend Alberto Giacometti, who is my favorite artist, in Paris and writes very fondly of his intellect and engaging conversations. She meets Hemingway and is an aquaintance of Picasso and his longtime lover Dora Marr. She also meets Cocteau through Sartre's theatrical work.

I found the wartime writing of this second one particularly engaging and probably of wider interest than the episodes of de Beauvoir's daily life later on... but we'll see!

readable, juicy, challenging, fascinating
This is my favorite volume of de Beauvoir's autobiograghy. It covers her life from her graduation at age 20 to the beginning of her fame after the war, when she was about forty. This book paints a vivid piture of now famous Left Bank intellectuals; their philosophies, politics, love lives, travels, and various predicaments they inevitabley get themselves into. I stumbled across this book by accident as a teenager and read it only because I was bored. It opened up an entire world for me;existentialism, feminism, socialism, French history and culture, all of which I now study at university. This book is aslo a great introduction to de Beauvoir's THE MANDARINS, which is a fictionalized account of the same people and places ... Read more

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For almost twenty years, feminist readings of Simone de Beauvoir's feminist classic The Second Sex have been dominated by dismissive interpretation of Beauvoir's philosophy as Sartrean and phallocentric.Beauvoir's angry refusal to acknowledge either her philosophical originality or her lesbian relationships led to an interpretive impasse on two issues: her relationship to existentialism and her relationship to feminism.It was not until Beauvoir's death in 1986 that this interpretive impasse would be broken.

Feminist scholars reacted to news of Beauvoir's death in 1986 by initiating a reevaluation of her life's work, a task encouraged by Sylvie Le Bon de Beauvoir, her adopted daughter, who edited for posthumous publication many of Beauvoir's personal notebooks and letters to Sartre.Some of the most exciting new interpretations of Beauvoir's philosophy that have resulted are brought together here for the first time; many of them, indeed, were written expressly for this first volume of essays on Beauvoir's philosophy written since her death.

From phenomenology and literary criticism to analytic philosophy and postmodern deconstruction, this collection presents a unique variety of methodological approaches to reading Beauvoir: placing her within the phenomenological tradition and identifying the Husserlean influence on her work; using the posthumously published letters and notebooks to shed light on Beauvoir's own experience of oppression and to deconstruct the philosophical movement that exploited her; analyzing the themes and structure of Beauvoir's novel The Mandarins to study her philosophy of the erotic; examining the structure of her argument about women's biology and sexual difference to challenge the criticism of Beauvoir's phallocentricism; locating her writings on decolonization as a historical antecedent of the postmodern philosophy of destruction.Of particular interest may be the scholarly reading of little-known texts, such as Beauvoir's essay on the Marquis de Sade, or her essay "Literature and Metaphysics," in the context of her better-known texts, such as Ethics of Ambiguity, to trace Beauvoir's philosophical development and challenge the view that Beauvoir was either Sartrean or phallocentric. ... Read more

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Simone de Beauvoir made her own distinctive contribution to existentialism in the form of an ethics which diverged sharply from that of Jean-Paul Sartre. In her novels and philosophical essays of the 1940s she produced not just a recognizably existentialist ethics, but also a character ethics and an ethics for violence. These concerns, stemming from her own personal philosophical background, give a vital, contemporary resonance to her work. De Beauvoir`s feminist classic The Second Sex reflects her earlier philosophical interests, and is considerably strengthened by this influence. This book defends her existentialist feminism against the many reproaches which have been levelled against it over several decades, not least the criticism that it is steeped in Sartrean masculinism.

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Since her death in 1986 and the publication of her letters and diaries in 1990, interest in the philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir has never been greater. In this engaging and timely volume, Margaret A. Simons and an international group of philosophers present 16 essays that reveal Beauvoir as one of the century’s most important and influential thinkers. As they set Beauvoir’s work into dialogue with Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, Foucault, Levinas, and others, these essays consider questions such as Beauvoir’s philosophical relationship with Sartre; her ethic of the erotic; her views on marriage, motherhood, and female friendship; and her interpretations of oppression and liberation. This book discusses the full range of Beauvoir’s work, including The Second Sex, her unpublished diaries, autobiographical writings, novels, and philosophical essays, and broadens the scope and interpretive context of her unique philosophy.

Contributors are Nancy Bauer, Debra Bergoffen, Suzanne Laba Cataldi, Edward Fullbrook, Eva Gothlin, Sara Heinämaa, Laura Hengehold, Stacy Keltner, Michèle Le Doeuff, Ann Murphy, Shannon M. Mussett, Margaret A. Simons, Ursula Tidd, Andrea Veltman, Karen Vintges, Julie Ward, Gail Weiss. ... Read more

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Simone de Beauvoir stands as a towering figure in the twentieth century’s flowering of thought among women. There are probably more women philosophers alive today than in all of prior history, and their perspective brings new ideas and fresh approaches to old problems. We are just now beginning to understand women’s unique contribution to philosophical thought.

The World of Philosophy series is a dramatic presentation, in understandable language, of the concerns, questions, interests, and overall outlook of the world’s great philosophers and philosophical traditions. Special emphasis on clear and relevant explanations gives you a new arsenal of insights toward living a better life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A beautiful and engaging novel
I have found this to be one of de Beauvoir's most satisfying and enjoyable books. Set in the Parisian middle class during the mid-1960's, the time frame is brief, and the sharply written dialogues and descriptions make me feel as though these characters are among my circle of friends. The conflicts - generational, marital, ethical, psychological - are ones we all experience, but rarely as poignantly and clearly drawn as here. These are characters we quickly come to care about, empathize with, and in whose lives we recognize our own and those we love. While a psychological novel, it is never dull or plodding in its introspection, but has a nice variety of characters, relationships, scenes, settings, and conflicts that keep the reader engaged. Many of the issues are ones facing contemporary women, but the men are drawn with psychological perceptiveness as well. The issues are left largely unresolved, as they defy easy solutions; in this way, the novel imitates life, and I found very satisfying that the conflicts are ones which touch us deeply, but are not easily resolved, and testify to how our lives remain intertwined, and impinge one on another in such profound ways. de Beauvoir writes of these truths in the ordinary events of outwardly unremarkable characters, noteworthy however for how much they resemble all of us. They are a mirror to our lives, and the experience of reading this novel is beautiful, psychologically true, complicated - as life is - and emotionally satisfying in its honesty. I found the characters and their lives utterly believable and engaging. This novel has never received the attention it richly deserves. ... Read more

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Going beneath all the beautiful images
"Why does one exist? That's not my problem. One does exist. The thing to do is to take no notice but go at it with a run and to keep on going until you die". (pg 54)

Why think about it at all?

You are surrounded by beautiful images! Beautiful, accomplished people who are wholly concerned about maintaining their wonderful appearance to society.Beautiful cars to parade yourself in town. Beautiful food to grace your fabulous parties.Be sure you don't behave irrationally--you don't want to embarrass yourself, your family, and, heaven forbid, become the talk of the town.

Meet Laurence, a woman of means who begins to reflect and struggle with the status of her own life because of the innocent questions posed by her young daughter: "Why do people live" and "Why are some people unhappy".

Laurence would like to unclutter her life by changing her actions and thinking, as well as those around her. She comes to see her material life as devoid of meaning: sterile and colorless. It is difficult for her to express her opinions, especially to her arrogant spouse, who constantly feels the need to be right in any discussion.

Unfortunately, she is constrained by the bourgeoisie society she lives in, by theirmentality and expectations of how people ought to behave. Everyone around her seems complacent in their existing roles, but not Laurence. She wants more than the status quo and is determined that her daughters be able to breathe: to be themselves and have fun in life, rather than follow the dictates of how proper young girls should behave.

Beauvoir slips back and forth between third person and first person, which I find confusing at first, but as with her previous novels, they always get better as I read on. I enjoyed this novel, even though I did not like some of the characters! ... Read more

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Studies of Simone de Beauvoir have mostly concentrated on her literature, her life, and her famous 1949 work, The Second Sex, and the continued emphasis has been on Beauvoir's views on gender. The Philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir places her theory of women's "otherness" in the context of a number of contemporary theories on a similar subject. While gender takes its place among these, Professor Deutscher counterbalances its grip on our memory of Beauvoir's ideas by situating it in the context of our relationship to ageing, to generational difference, and to race and cultural difference. By differentiating the many aspects of "otherness," Beauvoir revisited some of the concepts of reciprocity, ambiguity, and ethics for which she is best remembered. ... Read more