Newly translated and unabridged in English for the first time, Simone de Beauvoir’s masterwork is a powerful analysis of the Western notion of “woman,” and a groundbreaking exploration of inequality and otherness. This long-awaited new edition reinstates significant portions of the original French text that were cut in the first English translation. Vital and groundbreaking, Beauvoir’s pioneering and impressive text remains as pertinent today as it was sixty years ago, and will continue to provoke and inspire generations of men and women to come.
The Second Sex
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"The effect of the new translation, which should be applauded, is to make Beauvoir more herself. . . still lively, still apropos." --Slate
“This is the edition Beauvoir herself would have wanted, one so true to the original that we can hear her voice in the text. Borde and Malovany-Chevallier’s new translation is long overdue, and it is a triumph.” —Margaret Simons, Distinguished Research Professor Emerita, Southern Illinois University
“[Borde and Malovany-Chevallier’s translation] can be read with confidence, enlightenment, and pleasure. . . . A significant step forward and a remarkable achievement. So if you’re one of those people who always meant to read The Second Sex—why not now?” —Women’s Review of Books
“From Eve’s apple to Virginia Woolf’s room of her own, Beauvoir’s treatise remains an essential rallying point, urging self-sufficiency and offering the fruit of knowledge.”
—Vogue
"[A] long-awaited achievement." –"Book Bench," newyorker.com
About the Author
Simone de Beauvoir was born in Paris in 1908. In 1929 she became the youngest person ever to obtain the agrégation in philosophy at the Sorbonne, placing second to Jean-Paul Sartre. She taught at lycées at Marseille and Rouen from 1931 to 1937, and in Paris from 1938 to 1943. After the war, she emerged as one of the leaders of the existentialist movement, working with Sartre on Les Temps Modernes. The author of several books, including The Mandarins (1957), which was awarded the Prix Goncourt, Beauvoir was one of the most influential thinkers of her generation. She died in 1986.
Constance Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier, both American, are longtime residents of France and former teachers at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris.
Judith Thurman, author of Isak Dinesen and Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette, is a staff writer at The New Yorker.
Constance Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier, both American, are longtime residents of France and former teachers at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris.
Judith Thurman, author of Isak Dinesen and Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette, is a staff writer at The New Yorker.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 35 people found the following review helpful
By brett
Format:Hardcover
A previous review has noted some weaknesses in this translation, which I think are a bit one sided. Cetainly, Toril Moi raises some valid points in her critique of this translation - however, I think these are stylistic issues and translator's preferences. Indeed, there is rarely a "true" translation of a book, and opinions will always differ as to their quality. What I will say is that this book is infinitely better than the first translation, especially with its use of philosophical/existentialist terminology.
I gave this book five stars because I think it is so much better than the original translation. Even though the translators may have made poor choices in parts, they have also restored a great deal of the book that was previously inaccessible in English editions. As to the criticism about the style of the book, I must disagree. I think the book is extremely readable, and had no trouble reading through in its entirety.
Moving briefly away from the translation on to the content, this is a must have book for anyone interested not only in feminism, but also existentialism more generally. This book is for both men and women seeking to live an authentic (gendered) life. As a piece of history it is also important. Though the ideas presented her may no longer seem revolutionary, they were when this book was written. Of course, parts of the book have not aged well as science has advanced, but it does not detract from the greatness of the book.
I gave this book five stars because I think it is so much better than the original translation. Even though the translators may have made poor choices in parts, they have also restored a great deal of the book that was previously inaccessible in English editions. As to the criticism about the style of the book, I must disagree. I think the book is extremely readable, and had no trouble reading through in its entirety.
Moving briefly away from the translation on to the content, this is a must have book for anyone interested not only in feminism, but also existentialism more generally. This book is for both men and women seeking to live an authentic (gendered) life. As a piece of history it is also important. Though the ideas presented her may no longer seem revolutionary, they were when this book was written. Of course, parts of the book have not aged well as science has advanced, but it does not detract from the greatness of the book.
14 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Vakunta
Format:Paperback
French feminist writer Simone de Beauvoir argues in her book Le deuxième sexe (1949:13) that gender is a social construct: "On ne naît pas femme: on le devient. Aucun destin biologique, psychique, économique ne définit la figure que revęt au sein de la société la femelle humaine; c'est l'ensemble de la civilisation qui élabore ce produit intermédiaire entre le mâle et le castrat qu'on qualifie de féminin. »[One is not born, but rather becomes a woman. No biological, pschological, or economic fate determines the figure that the human female presents in society; it is civilization as a whole that produces this creature, intermediate between male and eunuch, which is described as feminine] [v].
De Beauvoir underscores the role played by prejudice in the oppression of women in contemporary societies. She points out that the key to understanding how girls develop as opposed to boys is to be found not in any "myth of the second sex" but in the manner of their upbringing in a society geared toward male supremacy. In other words, women consider themselves inferior because men regard them as such. Beauvoir offers her views on the subtle ways in which matrimony has often been made to work to the detriment of women. She perceives marriage as a male contraption to perpetuate gender inequality when she notes:« Le mariage s'est toujours présenté de manière radicalement différente pour l'homme et pour la femme. Les deux sexes sont nécessaires l'un à l'autre, mais cette nécessité n'a jamais engendré entre eux de réciprocité ; jamais les femmes n'ont constitué une caste établissant avec la caste mâle sur un pied d'égalité des échanges et des contrats. Socialement l'homme est un individu autonome et complet ....On a vu pour quelles raisons le rôle reproducteur et domestique dans lequel est cantonnée la femme ne lui a pas garanti une égale dignité. » (196) [Mariage has always been a very different thing for man and for woman. The two sexes are necessary to each other, but this necessity has never brought about a condition of reciprocity between them; women, as we have seen, have never constituted a caste making exchanges and contracts with the male caste upon a footing of equality. A man is socially an independent and complete individual .... We have seen why it is that the reproductive and domestic role to which woman is confined has not guaranteed her an equal dignity] [vi].
I argue along with De Beauvoir and other feminists that the second-class status to which women the world over have been confined is a social construct. I further contend that gender discourse needs to be revisited and debated around address issues that center on gender equality. Finally, I posit that the African woman, in particular, is in dire need of proper education in order to fight male oppression. It is my conviction that a woman's consciousness of her own femininity is to be defined under circumstances dependent on the society of which she is a member. Indeed, a major thesis of De Beauvoir's book is that all her life the woman is to find the magic of her mirror a tremendous help in her effort to assert herself in order to attain self-liberation. It is in the context of their natural differences that men and women must validate their commonality.
Dr. Peter Vakunta is a specialist in French and Francophone literatures.
De Beauvoir underscores the role played by prejudice in the oppression of women in contemporary societies. She points out that the key to understanding how girls develop as opposed to boys is to be found not in any "myth of the second sex" but in the manner of their upbringing in a society geared toward male supremacy. In other words, women consider themselves inferior because men regard them as such. Beauvoir offers her views on the subtle ways in which matrimony has often been made to work to the detriment of women. She perceives marriage as a male contraption to perpetuate gender inequality when she notes:« Le mariage s'est toujours présenté de manière radicalement différente pour l'homme et pour la femme. Les deux sexes sont nécessaires l'un à l'autre, mais cette nécessité n'a jamais engendré entre eux de réciprocité ; jamais les femmes n'ont constitué une caste établissant avec la caste mâle sur un pied d'égalité des échanges et des contrats. Socialement l'homme est un individu autonome et complet ....On a vu pour quelles raisons le rôle reproducteur et domestique dans lequel est cantonnée la femme ne lui a pas garanti une égale dignité. » (196) [Mariage has always been a very different thing for man and for woman. The two sexes are necessary to each other, but this necessity has never brought about a condition of reciprocity between them; women, as we have seen, have never constituted a caste making exchanges and contracts with the male caste upon a footing of equality. A man is socially an independent and complete individual .... We have seen why it is that the reproductive and domestic role to which woman is confined has not guaranteed her an equal dignity] [vi].
I argue along with De Beauvoir and other feminists that the second-class status to which women the world over have been confined is a social construct. I further contend that gender discourse needs to be revisited and debated around address issues that center on gender equality. Finally, I posit that the African woman, in particular, is in dire need of proper education in order to fight male oppression. It is my conviction that a woman's consciousness of her own femininity is to be defined under circumstances dependent on the society of which she is a member. Indeed, a major thesis of De Beauvoir's book is that all her life the woman is to find the magic of her mirror a tremendous help in her effort to assert herself in order to attain self-liberation. It is in the context of their natural differences that men and women must validate their commonality.
Dr. Peter Vakunta is a specialist in French and Francophone literatures.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some Reviews of The Second Sex appearing here are NOT about the Borde and Malovany-Chevallier translation
March 9, 2013
By Marcel Louis
Format:Paperback
The Borde and Malovany translation first appeared in 2010. Some of the reviews here, complaining about the translation, are about an earlier edition (translated by someone else). Among other corrections, the Borde and Malovany-Chevallier translation reinstates a large section - over 700 pages - that the original translator left out.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yessss!!!!
This is one of the most important feminist texts of the last two hundred years. Everyone should read it feminist or not. Also the translation is GREAT. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Wolfgang
5.0 out of 5 stars
Required Reading for Men and Women Both
This tome is no mere women's lib manual. It is a deep examination of the very real existential problems faced by half of the human race. Read more
Published 3 months ago by frankjpeter
3.0 out of 5 stars
Second Sex
It arrived without a dust cover; wish this had been mentioned in its billing. I'll be looking for another copy...
Published 3 months ago by Suzanne Van Appledorn
5.0 out of 5 stars
heady stuff, but worth it.
I am finding amazing ideas in it and observations every time I go back to it. Amazing that some things have not changed in thousands of years.
Published 3 months ago by Maureen Vantrease
5.0 out of 5 stars
About women in a man's world
Simone de Beauvoir's book is still relevant today and even more so in light of what is happening now on the international arena.
Published 3 months ago by Marlene Luce Tremblay
5.0 out of 5 stars
Second sex
Its good to read this book translated by a woman. I had a very old copy but i have never read it due to very poor translation. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Derya
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Plea for Equality
Those who read The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir are really reading one of two versions. In 1953, H. M. Parshley translated from the French for an American audience. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Martin Asiner
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MUST read for MEN
This is an awesome book despite its age. I've never read another book that so powerfully brought to light subtle but important parts of the male-female relationship. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Stan J. Mckay
1.0 out of 5 stars
Worse than the First Translation
This translation conveys the same message as the first translation, but is unnecessarily wordy, uses longer complicated sentence structure and is a struggle to get through. Read more
Published on January 30, 2011 by DrBig
1.0 out of 5 stars
Quelle horreur!
Toril Moi alerted us to the tragedy of this first unabridged English version of Beauvoir's magnum opus (in LRB 32. Read more
Published on August 29, 2010 by Simon G. Barrett
