biography
| name: |
de Beauvoir, Simone
|
pronunciation:
[duh bohvwah(r)]
| sex:
| female
|
| lived:
| (1908–86)
|
| biography:
| Existentialist writer and novelist, born in Paris, France. She studied philosophy with Sartre at the Sorbonne, where she became professor (1941–3). Closely associated with his literary activities after World War 2, she remained his companion until his death (1980). Her own works provide existentialism with an essentially feminine sensibility, notably Le Deuxième sexe (1949, The Second Sex) on women's rights, which became a classic of feminist literature, and Les Mandarins (1954, Prix Goncourt), describing existentialist circles in post-war Paris. However, her most enduring contribution to literature may be her memoirs. These include Mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée (1963, Memories of a dutiful Daughter). With Sartre she founded the monthly review, Les Temps modernes, in 1945. |
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