Cross-Sea Love Letters (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Simone de Beauvoir (French), translated by Lou Xiaoyan and Gao Linghan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-01-01
Features: This book is a collection of letters written by Simone de Beauvoir to the American writer Nelson Algren. It was first published in France by Gallimard in 1997. 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 parting ways. Beauvoir, a renowned existentialist and Sartre’s lifelong confidante, never married officially. When she met Algren, Beauvoir was already 39 years old, and Algren 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 romance could only meet in person but could never 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 mentioned 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, and even the world, after World War II. At the same time, through these more free and authentic letters, we can also better understand the activities of the French literary and philosophical circles at the time, represented by Sartre, as well as the emotional world of this legendary feminist.