Jean-Paul Sartre

Author: (French) Jean-Paul Sartre
Translator: Jian Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: As the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, Sartre's ideas influenced three generations of Western thinkers, becoming an indispensable reference for the souls of Westerners who painfully pursue authenticity and freedom under the oppression of reality. The author of this book takes the perspective of "a work is the author," drawing materials from Sartre's entire body of work to reconstruct a more authentic, accurate, and convincing portrait of Sartre than Sartre himself ever painted. This critical biography stands out among the vast array of Sartre studies. Excerpt: Although she loved her cousin, his personality was far more frightening to her than marriage itself. She feared this capricious character, which she saw as chaotic, shifting between sincere expressions. On her 20th birthday, she wrote to him: "To know how you can so clearly explain to me how you can successively become Louis, A. Warkenai, Madeleine, and others—alternately sharing their tastes and preferences—all with the same sincerity—has made me think a great deal. This ability to reflect various colors is a bit like a chameleon’s. I’m not sure—among endless, all-encompassing acquiescence—where your position and your own tastes lie. Perhaps your inclusiveness has gone so far that it has become all-encompassing—your admiration is a large station, and everyone who comes in is greeted with equal enthusiasm. But my admiration is a small hall, and only those chosen can enter." Although she felt a certain sentimental charm and was deeply captivated while reading Notes of André Walter, the publication of the book greatly annoyed her: "Everything about us and that belongs to us, André, you have no right to write it down. This first work, though promising from an artistic perspective, is a sin before conscience." In addition to seeing the features of the unsettling personality confirmed in the book, she also deeply felt that Sartre’s life after this would diverge from hers. She likely used her role as the eldest sister to justify her obligations to the four orphaned siblings in January 1891.