Simone de Beauvoir (pronounced [simɔndə boˈvwaʀ] in French) (January 9, 1908 – April 14, 1986) was a French author and philosopher. She wrote novels, monographs on philosophy, politics, and social issues, essays, biographies, and an autobiography. She is now best known for her metaphysical novels, including She Came to Stay and The Mandarins, and for her 1949 treatise The Second Sex, a detailed analysis of women's oppression and a foundational tract of contemporary feminism.

Early years

Simone de Beauvoir was the daughter of Georges de Beauvoir, a one-time lawyer and amateur actor, and Françoise Brasseur, a young woman from Verdun. She was born in Paris and was educated at good schools. After World War I, Simone's maternal grandfather Gustave Brasseur, president of the Meuse Bank, went bankrupt, throwing his entire family into dishonor and poverty. The family had to move into a smaller apartment and Georges de Beauvoir had to go back to work; his relationship with his wife suffered.

Simone was always aware that her father had hoped to have a son, instead of two daughters (younger sister Hélène de Beauvoir became a painter). However, he did tell Simone "You have the brain of a man," and from a young age Simone was a distinguished student. Georges de Beauvoir passed his love of theater and literature to his daughter. He became convinced that only scholarly success could lift his daughters out of poverty.

At 15, Simone de Beauvoir had already decided she would be a famous writer. She did well in many subjects, but was especially attracted to philosophy, which she went on to study at the University of Paris. There she met many other young intellectuals, including Jean-Paul Sartre.

[edit] Middle years