Contents
Simone de Beauvoir
Writing The Second Sex, a foundational work of feminist thought.
Existentialism · Feminism
- Born
- 9 January 1908
- Birthplace
- Paris, France
- Died
- 14 April 1986
More people
Simone de Beauvoir
A French writer whose philosophy, fiction and memoir examine freedom, responsibility and the social construction of women’s lives.
Early life
Paris childhood
Grew up in a bourgeois family with contrasting religious and intellectual influences.
Philosophical training
Studied philosophy and passed the agrégation examination in 1929.
Career
- 1930s
Teaching
Worked as a philosophy teacher.
- 1943
Novelist
Published She Came to Stay.
- 1945
Literary journal
Helped establish Les Temps modernes.
- 1949
Feminist analysis
Published The Second Sex.
Selected work
The Ethics of Ambiguity
Explores freedom alongside responsibility for others.
The Second Sex
Examines how women are positioned as society’s other.
The Mandarins
Novel about intellectual life after the war; won the Prix Goncourt.
Beyond work
Intellectual partnership
Maintained a long relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre.
Political activity
Participated in feminist campaigns and debates about social freedom.
Sources & photo credit
Biographical reference ↗Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Beauvoir ↗Photo: Moshe Milner. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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