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Of the reception of The Second Sex, the seminal book of feminist philosophy that launched 'second-wave' feminism, Simone de Beauvoir said, "Well, it is not my fault if, particularly in France, whenever we talk about women, we instantly think about sex. This is precisely because women have been reduced, by men, to being what they mainly are for men, which is almost exclusively something sexual".

De Beauvoir's position was simply stated, in line with a philosophical position that existence precedes essence: "one is not born but becomes a woman". De Beauvoir herself became a formidable figure in the world of philosophy, literature and politics. It is this iconic image - 'brand Beauvoir' - that has dominated in the thirty-five years since her death and which this episode of Afterwords seeks to deconstruct.

Through archive from 1949 onwards and through the words of those who knew her (such as the writer and former diplomat Claudine Monteil who lives within sight of de Beauvoir's grave) and those who've studied her work (the philosopher and de Beauvoir biographer Kate Kirkpatrick, Professor Ursula Tidd of Manchester University and American philosopher Kathryn Sophia Belle), an intimate, nuanced portrait of Simone de Beauvoir emerges - a woman who embraced the 'matter of being a human being' and modelled new ways of engaging ethically with the world.

With the voice of Simone de Beauvoir, courtesy of the Studs Terkel Radio Archive, and readings by Caroline Crier.
Produced by Alan Hall
A Falling Tree production for Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio Three

First broadcast 14th November 2021