Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Episode 1

Jean Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Raymond Aron discover phenomenology, realising that philosophy can come from anything - even an apricot cocktail. Existentialism is born.

Paris, 1933: Three contemporaries meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are the young Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and longtime friend Raymond Aron, a fellow philosopher who raves to them about a new conceptual framework from Berlin called Phenomenology. "You see," he says, "if you are a phenomenologist you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy out of it!"

It was this simple phrase that ignited a movement, inspiring Sartre to integrate Phenomenology into his own French, humanistic sensibility, creating an entirely new philosophical approach inspired by themes of radical freedom, authentic being and political activism. This movement swept through the jazz clubs and cafΓ©s of the Left Bank before making its way across the world as Existentialism.

Featuring philosophers, playwrights, anthropologists, convicts and revolutionaries, At the Existentialist CafΓ© follows the existentialists' story - from the first rebellious spark through the Second World War, to its role in postwar liberation movements such as anticolonialism, feminism, and gay rights.

Interweaving biography and philosophy, this is an epic account of passionate encounters - fights, love affairs, mentorships, rebellions, and long partnership. It's also an investigation into what the existentialists have to offer us today - at a moment when we are once again confronting the major questions of freedom, global responsibility and human authenticity in a fractious and technology-driven world.

Written by Sarah Bakewell
Read by Sasha Behar
Abridged by Polly Coles

Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4.

15 minutes

Last on

Tue 12 Apr 2016 00:30

More episodes

Previous

You are at the first episode

See all episodes from Book of the Week

Credits

Role Contributor
Reader Sasha Behar
Author Sarah Bakewell
Abridger Polly Coles
Producer Clive Brill

Broadcasts

  • Mon 11 Apr 2016 09:45
  • Tue 12 Apr 2016 00:30

Listen to more Audio Books

Listen to more Audio Books

Including My Sister The Serial Killer, Queenie, The Flatshare and more.

Opening Lines

Opening Lines

John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

Sample our books and authors Clip Collection

Interviews, previews and reviews

Subscribe to the Short stories podcast

Featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.

Finding Your Story

Finding Your Story

Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arts: Books

Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.