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Available
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Publication
Arcade (2012), Edition: 1, 544 pages
Description
In 1983 de Beauvoir published Sartre's letters, maintaining that her own to him had been lost. They were found by de Beauvoir's adopted daughter, and published to a storm of controversy in France. Tracing the emotional and triangular complications of her life with Sartre, the letters reveal her not only as manipulative and dependent but Simonealso as vulnerable, passionate, jealous and committed.
User reviews
LibraryThing member djjazzyd
Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (1908-1986), was a French writer, intellectual, existentialist philosopher, political activist, feminist and social theorist, who was closely associated with Jean-Paul Sartre and Existentialism.
These letters were published posthumously in 1990. The
Those looking for philosophical sophistication in these letters will mostly go away disappointed; but for those wanting insight into De Beauvoir’s mind and personality, and for details of her relationship with Sartre---as well as with various other lovers (female and male)---this collection will be a “page-turner.”
These letters were published posthumously in 1990. The
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editor wrote in his Introduction, “the publication of her correspondence… demonstrated the radical incompatibility of her and Sartre’s whole conception of free human relations… with the somewhat rose-tinted, soft-edged public image she had herself at times helped to create… What provoked the outraged reaction of so many to the posthumous publication of these letters? At least three strands converged here. First, traditional sexism… Secondly… ideological Reaction: the posturing of intellectual yuppiedom… More significant was a third strand made up of former of still-would-be sympathizers, who now felt De Beauvoir had revealed herself in her letters to be dismayingly OTHER than the idealized image of her they had so long been nurturing…De Beauvoir’s letters to Sartre … are love letters … and they are concurrently the unsparing account of those other---‘contingent’---loves allowed for in her pact with Sartre… De Beauvoir herself is a validly heroic figure… [who] produced a work which stands and will stand as the baseline of all aspirations for equality between the sexes in the modern world.” (Pg. vii-ix)Those looking for philosophical sophistication in these letters will mostly go away disappointed; but for those wanting insight into De Beauvoir’s mind and personality, and for details of her relationship with Sartre---as well as with various other lovers (female and male)---this collection will be a “page-turner.”
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LibraryThing member iSatyajeet
I love the fact that Simone de Beauvoir referred to Sartre as “My dear little being.”
She loves everything about him from his "little fingers", ″arms″, and ″lips/lip″ to his ″boring sweaters″ and ″little 'not so round' face.″
Sartre calls her “Beaver,” lovingly!
″When I’m
She loves everything about him from his "little fingers", ″arms″, and ″lips/lip″ to his ″boring sweaters″ and ″little 'not so round' face.″
Sartre calls her “Beaver,” lovingly!
″When I’m
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with you nothing seems so terrible as leaving you yet faraway the least little fear is unbearable. I love you passionately. I’m empty and unhappy without you...I love you with something tragic and with complete abandonment.″ she wrote. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1611454980 / 9781611454987