Adieux: A Farewell to SartreFrom the Dust Jacket: In Adieux: A Farewell to Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir uses Jean-Paul Sartre's last ten years as a focus for understanding his entire life. Through her eyes, we see an intimate portrait of the man who was widely recognized as one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century-the foremost philosopher of existentialism, a Nobel Prize-winning playwright, and a central figure in almost every major philosophical, political, literary, and social issue of our time. De Beauvoir was Sartre's closet friend, his intellectual companion, and, intermittently, his lover, from his early twenties until his death. It is she who tells his story in Adieux. She begins with a year-by-year memoir of Sartre's last decade: his political involvements, his work on Flaubert, his friendships, his relationship with her, his slow demise. The second and longer part of the book is a conversation between Sartre and De Beauvoir about his entire life and work. Unguarded, lucid, and incisive, Sartre talks about the origins of his philosophy, the inspiration for his fiction, and the conviction behind his activism. But more than a philosophical book, Adieux is a personal dialogue of astonishing candor. Sartre openly discusses his relationships with women-a subject which seems to pain De Beauvoir even now; his ugliness; his fear of passion. And in one of the most moving passages in Adieux, De Beauvoir anticipates Sartre's death. She knows he is dying, but she cannot tell him. Existentialism's acceptance of death does not console her. Adieux reveals the inner Sartre and the inner De Beauvoir, and illuminates one of the most extraordinary relationships of our century. |
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Page 349
... freedom . I was living with my grandfather , and I thought it obvious that since I was free , he was too . But I could not understand the nature of his freedom very well , since it was chiefly expressed in the form of maxims , puns ...
... freedom . I was living with my grandfather , and I thought it obvious that since I was free , he was too . But I could not understand the nature of his freedom very well , since it was chiefly expressed in the form of maxims , puns ...
Page 359
... freedom ? SARTRE : I still retain the idea that freedom also consists of being able to die . That is , if tomorrow some threat or other menaces my freedom , death is a way of preserving it . DE BEAUVOIR : Many people don't want to die ...
... freedom ? SARTRE : I still retain the idea that freedom also consists of being able to die . That is , if tomorrow some threat or other menaces my freedom , death is a way of preserving it . DE BEAUVOIR : Many people don't want to die ...
Page 360
... freedom of all the rest . That was about 1945-1950 . DE BEAUVOIR : And what do you think about freedom now ? About your freedom and about freedom in general ? SARTRE : As far as my freedom is concerned , I haven't changed . I think I am ...
... freedom of all the rest . That was about 1945-1950 . DE BEAUVOIR : And what do you think about freedom now ? About your freedom and about freedom in general ? SARTRE : As far as my freedom is concerned , I haven't changed . I think I am ...
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Common terms and phrases
action active appeared asked BEAUVOIR began beginning believe better brought called carried Cause certain certainly coming Communist concerned connection consciousness conversation course deal death didn't don't example exist fact feel felt France freedom friends future gave give given hand happened idea important interested it's Italy kind knew later less literature living longer looked lunch mean meant meeting months morning nature never object once Paris particular past perhaps period person philosophy play political possess present prison published question reason relations remember SARTRE seemed short side socialism sometimes speak spent spoke stayed stories Sylvie taken talk tell there's things thought told took turned understand Victor walk wanted whole women writing written wrote young