Simone de Beauvoir (Life & Times S.) [Paperback]

Lisa Appignanesi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2005 | Series: Life&Times

Accessible and affordable illustrated biography about a famous feminist

Editorial Reviews

Review

Different from a conventional biography, this work presents de Beauvoir as a feeling, thinking, activist individual while also being an introspective one;

About the Author

Lisa Appignanesi is a novelist, writer and broadcaster. She has written a portrait of Simone de Beauvoir and Cabaret (2004, Yale University Press) and a book on James, Proust and Musil. She is the co-author of Freud's Women with John Forrester (Penguin).

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Haus Pub. (October 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904950094
• ISBN-13: 978-1904950097
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,166,693 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars biography focusing on the writings and the feminism of this important French literary figure, February 22, 2006

By 

Henry Berry "Henry Berry" (Southport, CT) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Simone de Beauvoir (Life & Times S.) (Paperback)

This author with wide interests and published fiction and nonfiction concentrates on Simon de Beauvoir's writings for a comprehension of the purposes she defined for herself and the commitments she made. Or as Appighanesi puts it in her own words, "I have tried to render the flavour of Simone de Beauvois's singular life, her judiciousness, the vitality of her intellect, as well as highlight certain aspects of her most important books." The author gives special attention to de Beauvoir's influence through her books and her actions as a latter-day feminist; while her social ideas and activities, along with those of her lover Sartre, and her literary accomplishments are also given adequate and informative attention. Appignanesi writes with the stylistic innovation of including relatively lengthy passages from de Beauvois's writings within paragraphs; rather than setting off the quotes in separate blocks of text as is the common style. This has the effect of drawing writer and subject closer, allowing the writer to be particularly revealing about her subject. A little different from a conventional biography, this work presents de Beauvoir as a feeling, thinking, activist individual while also being an introspective one; and it's a good supplement to other works on this leading French philosophical and literary figure of the post-War decades who continues to offer insights and guidance on social, gender, and political questions.