Women’s History Heroes #22 – Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir will always be linked to Jean-Paul Sartre. I remember seeing their graves side by side in Cimetière du Montparnasse on my first visit to Paris. The partnership was undoubtedly a great boon for each of them, intellectually as well as as romantically. You can only imagine the conversations they had over the years – a snippet is available in print through letters and books.

It is a pity though that Beauvoir’s contribution to philosophy is a little undervalued because of the output of Sartre. Her writing is regarded to be more precise, deep, and clear than Sartre’s. Her contribution to feminism is also sometimes criticised because of the intense relationship she had with Sartre. It seemed to the outsider to be a subservient one – quite the opposite of the ideas Beauvoir was preaching.

Simone de Beauvoir is the first of two French women to enter the Gallery of Heroes today. Stay tuned.