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cinaedI picked up a book on a whim at the library the other day and man, I am enjoying it so much!
It's called Quiet Moments in a War: The Letters of Jean-Paul Sartre to Simone de Beauvoir 1940-1963, edited by Simon de Beauvoir.
The title sort of tells everything you need to know-- Sartre and de Beauvoir had an epic love affair that lasted fifty years, although they never married and had an open relationship (Sartre offhandedly mentions his own current affairs in several letters, and also teases de Beauvoir about her latest girlfriend). After his death but before her own, de Beauvoir published two books of his letters to her.
But oh my goodness, Sartre and de Beauvoir are ADORABLE. The letters are mostly them discussing literature and being beta-readers for each other's prospective works-- Sartre was writing The Age of Reason at the time, and de Beauvoir was coming into her own as one of the leading writers in the existentialism movement. And Sartre keeps talking about how awesome she is, and how life is so much better for him because of her existence.
Just-- here's an excerpt and a brief quotation:
(In this one, it's January 1940, and Sartre is currently on the front lines of the war)
"Today in the space of a single hour I received a letter, a telegram, and a package, all from you. As for the telegram, you're lucky the censor let it by. Can you imagine writing to any soldier in 'a military zone': 'Send Shakespeare immediately.' It positively reeks of espionage. But it's been dispatched, the Shakespeare, my sweet." (p. 10)
"I love you so much, little paragon. It's so easy to live and be happy when you exist." (p. 25)
It's called Quiet Moments in a War: The Letters of Jean-Paul Sartre to Simone de Beauvoir 1940-1963, edited by Simon de Beauvoir.
The title sort of tells everything you need to know-- Sartre and de Beauvoir had an epic love affair that lasted fifty years, although they never married and had an open relationship (Sartre offhandedly mentions his own current affairs in several letters, and also teases de Beauvoir about her latest girlfriend). After his death but before her own, de Beauvoir published two books of his letters to her.
But oh my goodness, Sartre and de Beauvoir are ADORABLE. The letters are mostly them discussing literature and being beta-readers for each other's prospective works-- Sartre was writing The Age of Reason at the time, and de Beauvoir was coming into her own as one of the leading writers in the existentialism movement. And Sartre keeps talking about how awesome she is, and how life is so much better for him because of her existence.
Just-- here's an excerpt and a brief quotation:
(In this one, it's January 1940, and Sartre is currently on the front lines of the war)
"Today in the space of a single hour I received a letter, a telegram, and a package, all from you. As for the telegram, you're lucky the censor let it by. Can you imagine writing to any soldier in 'a military zone': 'Send Shakespeare immediately.' It positively reeks of espionage. But it's been dispatched, the Shakespeare, my sweet." (p. 10)
"I love you so much, little paragon. It's so easy to live and be happy when you exist." (p. 25)
