Written as fiction in 1954 and never published whilst alive, Simone de Beauvoir tells the story of a child’s and teenager’s friendship and love with Zaza (called Andrée in the book), a story that ends tragically with the death of Andrée. It tells the story of two young women who would like to be free but are still confined by the views of others of a classical woman’s life, marriage and childbearing. The underlying messages show already the emerging feminism of Simone de Beauvoir. Illustrated with photos of the two young women, this story is an exciting insight into the author’s youth.
“In her present outlook, Andrée will cry all day long,” I said. I added, irritated, “She isn’t as reasoned in her feelings as you are! When she loves someone, she wants to be near them.”
“Why should being in love be an excuse for being unreasonable?” said Pascal. “I hate these romantic preconceptions.” He shrugged. “Presence, in the physical sense of the term, isn’t that important. Or otherwise it takes on too much importance.”
Original title : Les inséparables
Translated from French
Listened to as an audiobook