Simone de Beauvoir

1908 – 1986

Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir was a French existentialist philosopher, novelist, and feminist activist whose 1949 book The Second Sex is one of the foundational texts of modern feminism. Across novels including The Mandarins—which won the 1954 Prix Goncourt—and memoirs of her partnership with Jean-Paul Sartre, she shaped 20th-century existentialist literature alongside her philosophical work. Her writings have been translated into dozens of languages and continue to anchor university curricula in feminist theory and existentialism.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM