Le Deuxième Sexe
The defining work of Beauvoir's feminist philosophy and social analysis.
Author guide
Simone de Beauvoir Books in Order
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) was a French writer and intellectual whose work spans existentialist philosophy, feminist theory, fiction, memoir, political nonfiction, literary criticism, drama, and correspondence. Her major works include The Second Sex, the novels She Came to Stay and The Mandarins, and a substantial sequence of autobiographical writings. She also wrote extensively on ethics, aging, colonialism, political responsibility, and women's liberation.
existentialist fictionfeminist philosophymemoirautobiographypolitical nonfictionliterary criticismdramacorrespondence
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée
The best entry point to her autobiographical writing and intellectual formation.
L'Invitée
An accessible introduction to her existentialist fiction and themes of freedom, jealousy, and responsibility.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (11)
- L'Invitée
novel · 1943
- Le Sang des autres
novel · 1945
- Tous les hommes sont mortels
novel · 1946
When the beautiful, ambitious actress Regina takes Fosca into her life and learns his amazing truth, she is obsessed with the thought that in his memory her performances will live forever. But, as he recounts the story of his immortal…
- L'Amérique au jour le jour
travel nonfiction · 1948
- Le Deuxième Sexe
feminist nonfiction · 1949
- Les Mandarins
novel · 1954
- La Longue Marche: essai sur la Chine
political nonfiction · 1957
- La Femme rompue
novella collection · 1967
- La Vieillesse
social nonfiction · 1970
- Les Inséparables
novel · 2020
Nonfiction (8)
- Mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée
memoir · 1958
A superb autobiography by one of the great literary figures of the twentieth century, Simone de Beauvoir's Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter offers an intimate picture of growing up in a bourgeois French family, rebelling as an adolescent…
- La Force de l'âge
memoir · 1960
Vingt et un ans et l'agrégation de philosophie en 1929. La rencontre de Jean-Paul Sartre. Ce sont les années décisives pour Simone de Beauvoir. Celles ou s'accomplit sa vocation d'écrivain, si longtemps rêvée. Dix ans passés à enseigner,…
- La Force des choses
memoir · 1963
- Une mort très douce
memoir · 1964
- Tout compte fait
memoir · 1972
- La Cérémonie des adieux, suivi de Entretiens avec Jean-Paul Sartre, août-septembre 1974
memoir and interviews · 1981
- Journal de guerre: septembre 1939-janvier 1941
diary · 1990
- Cahiers de jeunesse: 1926-1930
diary and journal · 2008
Short fiction (1)
- Quand prime le spirituel
short-story collection · 1979
Essays and speeches (4)
- Pyrrhus et Cinéas
philosophical essay · 1944
- Pour une morale de l'ambiguïté
philosophical essay · 1947
- L'Existentialisme et la sagesse des nations
essay collection · 1948
- Privilèges
essay collection · 1955
Plays (1)
- Les Bouches inutiles
play · 1945
Collaborations (2)
- Djamila Boupacha
co-authored nonfiction · 1962
- Correspondance croisée: 1937-1940
co-authored correspondence · 2004
Other (2)
- Lettres à Sartre: 1930-1963
correspondence · 1990
- Lettres à Nelson Algren: un amour transatlantique, 1947-1964
correspondence · 1997
Frequently asked questions about Simone de Beauvoir
Who was Simone de Beauvoir, and what is she known for?
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) was a French writer, philosopher, feminist, public intellectual, and activist. She was one of postwar France’s major existentialist figures and a foundational thinker in feminist philosophy.
What was Simone de Beauvoir’s career besides writing?
She studied philosophy, passed France’s competitive agrégation examination in 1929, and taught philosophy in French secondary schools. She later became an editor, political activist, and influential public intellectual.
Who influenced Simone de Beauvoir’s ideas?
Her thinking engaged with Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Husserl, Heidegger, Bergson, Marx, and Kierkegaard. She also had a close intellectual partnership with Jean-Paul Sartre, while developing important ideas of her own.
What awards did Simone de Beauvoir receive?
She won the Prix Goncourt in 1954, the Jerusalem Prize in 1975, and Austria’s State Prize for European Literature in 1978.
Sources: academiegoncourt.com (opens in a new tab)jta.org (opens in a new tab)bmwkms.gv.at (opens in a new tab)
Why is Simone de Beauvoir still influential?
Her work helped establish feminist philosophy as a major field and continues to shape feminist theory, existentialism, ethics, and political philosophy. Her influence is evident in the work of later thinkers including Judith Butler, bell hooks, and Sara Ahmed.
Sources: plato.sydney.edu.au (opens in a new tab)guides.loc.gov (opens in a new tab)