{"product_id":"becoming-beauvoir-9781350047174","title":"Becoming Beauvoir","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne is not born a woman, but becomes one, Simone de Beauvoir\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eA symbol of liberated womanhood, Simone de Beauvoir's unconventional relationships inspired and scandalised her generation. A philosopher, writer, and feminist icon, she won prestigious literary prizes and transformed the way we think about gender with \u003ci\u003eThe Second Sex\u003c\/i\u003e. But despite her successes, she wondered if she had sold herself short.Her liaison with Jean-Paul Sartre has been billed as one of the most legendary love affairs of the twentieth century. But for Beauvoir it came at a cost: for decades she was dismissed as an unoriginal thinker who applied' Sartre's ideas. In recent years new material has come to light revealing the ingenuity of Beauvoir's own philosophy and the importance of other lovers in her life. This ground-breaking biography draws on never-before-published diaries and letters to tell the fascinating story of how Simone de Beauvoir became herself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA book to be read slowly and savoured. There’s too much detail to gulp it down. But it is worth the time it takes to read a fascinating portrait of a woman who inspired women around the world and who changed the way many people think. * The Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003e[Kirkpatrick] gives more space to De Beauvoir’s contrary relationship with feminism, and the discussion here is helpfully rich ... The letters to Lanzmann do constitute a major new resource ... Where Kirkpatrick’s biography is strongest is in clarifying and showing the strength of De Beauvoir’s ethical commitments, and how these were transformed into political commitments after the war. * The Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e4 stars ... Illuminating. * The Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eKirkpatrick's biography is an exercise in meticulous research. Using newly published diaries – only recently made available to researchers – it refuses simple characterisations and reveals de Beauvoir in all her brilliance and complexity ... \u003ci\u003eBecoming Beauvoir\u003c\/i\u003e is a beautiful tribute to a remarkable woman. * Times Higher Education *\u003cbr\u003eFascinating and deeply researched. * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eKirkpatrick offers a far more detailed and analytical account of de Beauvoir's philosophy than any previous biography ... Kirkpatrick's essential achievement here is to have related Simone de Beauvoir's logic to her life ... This is the best Beauvoir biography yet. * Standpoint Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eIn her excellent new biography, Kate Kirkpatrick [..] shows us why we've much more to learn from Beauvoir. * New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003eIn Kirkpatrick’s biography, Beauvoir is restored to her full body of work, her full complexity, her full bravery – so much more than one misquoted line. * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003eAn admirable biography probing beneath the surface of misogynistic predecessors and exposing the complexities and contradictions of this extraordinary woman. * Irish Examiner *\u003cbr\u003eWhile she advocates for de Beauvoir, contesting various criticisms, she allows complexity...Meticulously and engagingly, Kirkpatrick catches myriad \"instants\" of the flux behind the icon. -- Felicity Plunkett * The Australian *\u003cbr\u003eKirkpatrick has trawled fastidiously through her commentaries, diaries and, significantly, the interviews she gave towards the end of her life. The result is a rich rediscovery of this inspirational feminist, philosopher and existentialist. It will spark a whole new love affair since such politically-aware feminists remain thin on the ground – and more needed than ever. -- Samela Harris * SA Weekend Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e[An] accessible and enjoyable resource for a wide audience … \u003ci\u003eBecoming Beauvoir\u003c\/i\u003e gives sensitive treatment to issues that have troubled feminists: Beauvoir’s polyamory; the damage caused by her early liaisons with younger women; and her ambivalent attitude toward the philosophical content of her own oeuvre. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. * CHOICE *\u003cbr\u003eA comprehensive and revealing approach to the life of the French philosopher and writer * Philosophy (Bloomsbury Translation) *\u003cbr\u003eThis powerful, important book offers a necessary and radical, new, evidence-based reading of Simone de Beauvoir’s life and work. It unpicks and undermines the extraordinary torrent of belittling and sexist criticism that has been directed at Beauvoir, both in her lifetime and since, and recovers her from Jean-Paul Sartre’s shadow to bring her to stand in her own light. This haunting, scholarly, and compelling biography lingers long in the reader’s mind. * Suzannah Lipscomb FRHS, Professor of History, University of Roehampton, UK *\u003cbr\u003eDo we need another biography on Simone de Beauvoir? Definitely! Here we finally have a biography that makes Beauvoir’s philosophical ideas the focal point – not her love life. Based on new material, and written with insight, respect and sympathy, Kate Kirkpatrick re-examines Beauvoir’s life and demonstrates how it was guided by her own existentialist ideals as well as twisted by her circumstances. A timely and fascinating book! * Tove Pettersen, Professor of Philosophy, University of Oslo, Norway. President of the International Simone de Beauvoir Society *\u003cbr\u003eBeautifully written and meticulously researched, Kirkpatrick draws on new material to find contradictions in previous accounts of Simone de Beauvoir’s biography, including those from Beauvoir herself. Becoming Beauvoir is essential reading for anyone interested not just in Beauvoir’s life, but the philosophy within it. * Fiona Vera-Gray, Assistant Professor in Sociology, Durham University, UK *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbbreviations of Beauvoir’s Works           Introduction: Simone de Beauvoir—Who’s She?                1. Growing like a girl         2. The dutiful daughter   3. Lover of God or lover of men?               4. The love before the legend     5. The Valkyrie and the Playboy 6. Rooms of her own       7. The trio that was a quartet       8. War within, war without           9. Forgotten philosophy                 10. Queen of existentialism          11. American dilemmas 12. The scandalous Second Sex   13. Putting a new face on love    14. Feeling gypped           15. Old age revealed        16. The dying of the light               17. Afterwords: What will become of Simone de Beauvoir?           Select Bibliography","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51039329124695,"sku":"9781350047174","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781350047174.jpg?v=1750943340","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/becoming-beauvoir-9781350047174","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}