# Sex, Love, and Letters: Writing Simone de Beauvoir - Hardcover

by **Judith G. Coffin** (Author)

When Judith G. Coffin discovered a virtually unexplored treasure trove of letters to Simone de Beauvoir from Beauvoir's international readers, it inspired Coffin to explore the intimate bond between the famed author and her reading public. This correspondence, at the heart of _Sex, Love, and Letters_, immerses us in the tumultuous decades from the late 1940s to the 1970s--from the painful aftermath of World War II to the horror and shame of French colonial brutality in Algeria and through the dilemmas and exhilarations of the early gay liberation and feminist movements. The letters also provide a glimpse into the power of reading and the power of readers to seduce their favorite authors.

The relationship between Beauvoir and her audience proved especially long, intimate, and vexed. Coffin traces this relationship, from the publication of Beauvoir's acclaimed _The Second Sex_ to the release of the last volume of her memoirs, offering an unfamiliar perspective on one of the most magnetic and polarizing philosophers of the twentieth century. Along the way, we meet many of the greatest writers of Beauvoir's generation--Hannah Arendt; Dominique Aury, author of _The Story of O_; François Mauriac, winner of the Nobel Prize and nemesis of Albert Camus; Betty Friedan; and, of course, Jean-Paul Sartre--bringing the electrically charged salon experience to life.

_Sex, Love, and Letters_ lays bare the private lives and political emotions of the letter writers and of Beauvoir herself. Her readers did not simply pen fan letters but, as Coffin shows, engaged in a dialogue that revealed intellectual and literary life to be a joint and collaborative production. "This must happen to you often, doesn't it?" wrote one. "That people write to you and tell you about their lives?"

### Author Biography

Judith G. Coffin is Associate Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of _The Politics of Women's Work_ and articles on radio, mass culture, and sexuality and coauthor of four editions of _Western Civilizations_. Follow her on Twitter @judygcoffin.

**Number of Pages:** 328

**Dimensions:** 1.1 x 9.1 x 6.4 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** September 15, 2020

## Details

- **Price:** 32.95 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 32.95 USD | In stock |

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- Sex, Love, and Letters: Writing Simone de Beauvoir - Hardcover

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