Simone de Beauvoir. Eine Frau, die die Welt veränderte.

by Lisa Appignanesi

Born in 1908, Simone de Beauvoir was a brilliant scholar and novelist, leading member of the existentialist movement and a committed socialist and feminist. Raised in a stiflingly respectable environment, as a young woman she totally rejected her parents’ values and embarked on her literary career. With Jean-Paul Sartre she formed a unique relationship, which she described as ‘The one undoubted success in my life’. Later in life she was committed to achieving radical social and political change, but it was writing that gave meaning to her life; above everything, she valued her own intellectual audience.

Genres: Feminism, Biography, France

Perfect Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

aka Jessica Ayre

Elżbieta Borensztejn was born on 4 January 1946 in Łódź, Poland, the daughter of Hena and Aaron Borensztejn with Jewish origin. Following her birth, her parents moved to Paris, France, and in 1951 they emigrating to Canada. She grew up in the province of Quebec - first in a small Laurentian town, subsequently in Montreal.

She graduated from McGill University with a B.A. degree in 1966 and her M.A. the following year. During 1970-71 she was a staff writer for the Centre for Community Research in New York City and is a former University of Essex lecturer in European Studies. She was a founding member and editorial director of the Writers and Readers Publishing Cooperative. Through the eighties she was a Deputy Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, UK, for whom she also edited the seminal Documents Series and established ICA television and the video Writers in Conversation series.

She produced several made for television films and had written a number of books before devoting herself to writing fulltime in 1990. In recognition of her contribution to literature, Lisa Appignanesi has been honoured with a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government. In 2004, she became Deputy President of English PEN and has run its highly successful 'Free Expression is No Offence Campaign' against the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. In 2008 she became President of English PEN. She writes for The Guardian, The Independent and has made several series for BBC Radio 4, as well as frequently appearing as a cultural commentator.

In 1967, she married Richard Appignanesi, another writer, with whom she had one son in 1975, Josh Appignanesi, a film director. They divorced in 1984. With her life partner John Forrester, she had a daugther, Katrina Forrester, a Research Fellow in the history of modern political thought at St John's College, Cambridge. She lives in London.

Reviews

[G Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book while packing my apartment two weeks ago and took it with me for a long-term stay in another state. Inside was a piece of paper dated 1/7/97 with notes about employee health insurance (I was working in human resources at the time) and the phone number for someone whom I later married.

I wish I'd read this book in 1997; I wonder if it would've made a difference, if I would've lived differently earlier. Of course, I didn't (read the book or live differently) until much later.

Better late than never.

[Crissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written, succinct overview of Simone de Beauvoir's life, almost like a Wikipedia page in terms of hitting the major themes and events, but not like a Wikipedia page in that this was very well researched and provided interesting analysis of Beauvoir's philosophy and works.
I read this because I remembered reading parts of the The Second Sex in first year university philosophy class and wanted to know more about this feminist queen.
While obviously some of Beauvoir's ideas are dated (she's born in 1908), I think a lot of her struggles and theories still ring true today. I liked her constant search for truth and honesty and how to find freedom for women - particularly, how she loved doing everything alone, including long country walks and writing in cafes. Beauvoir's statement that one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman feels relevant and fresh.
The Beauvoir and Sartre relationship is very interesting too, kind of reminds me of Mary and Percy Shelley - would she have been better off without him? Did they make each other better? Hard to say.

[marta :))) · Rating 4 out of 5]

FUERA SARTRE

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great and brief primer into SdB’s thinking and relationship with Sartre...and throws a light on the limitations of her arguments too.