Oceanic Love Letters (Set of 2)

Author: (French) Simone de Beauvoir
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-04-01
Features: This book is a collection of letters written by Simone de Beauvoir to the American writer Nelson Algren. It was first published in 1997 by French publisher Gallimard. In 1947, Beauvoir traveled to the United States with Sartre for lectures and met Algren in Chicago. They fell in love at first sight and began a 17-year correspondence after their separation.
Beauvoir was Sartre’s lifelong confidante, a renowned existentialist, but they never married. When she met Algren, Beauvoir was 39 years old, and he brought her a completely new experience, making her feel as if she had returned to her innocent youth. The two long-distance lovers also discussed marriage in their letters, but ultimately, neither could abandon their careers for love. Their relationship could only meet in person but could not truly come together. A couple in love across the ocean, separated by distance.
When Beauvoir first met Algren, she was in the midst of《》. In her letters, she frequently discussed her writing and touched upon her views on society, literature, politics, and more at the time. These letters provide a real backdrop for understanding the social realities in Europe and America, as well as the world, after World War II. At the same time, through these more free and authentic letters, we can better understand the activities of the French literary and philosophical circles at the time, represented by Sartre, and the emotional world of Beauvoir, this legendary feminist.