Becoming Beauvoir: Kate Kirkpatrick in conversation about her new biography of Simone de Beauvoir with Catherine du Peloux Menagé
 
Simone de Beauvoir was the symbol of liberated womanhood whose unconventional relationships inspired and scandalised her generation. A philosopher, writer, and feminist icon, she won prestigious literary prizes and transformed the way we think about gender with The Second Sex. 

Her liaison with Jean-Paul Sartre has been billed as one of the most legendary love affairs of the twentieth century. But for Beauvoir it came at a cost: for decades she was dismissed as an unoriginal thinker who 'applied' Sartre's ideas. In recent years new material has come to light revealing the ingenuity of Beauvoir's own philosophy and the importance of other lovers in her life.

This ground-breaking biography draws on never-before-published diaries and letters to tell the fascinating story of how Simone de Beauvoir became herself. Rather than focusing only on her relationships and in particular her lifelong association with Sartre, Kirkpatrick talks about Beauvoir the original thinker and philosopher not just the shadow of Sartre.
‘Becoming Beauvoir is a beautiful tribute to a remarkable woman… It refuses simple characterisations and reveals de Beauvoir in all her brilliance and complexity.’
Times Higher Education Supplement
'A timely and fascinating book'
Tove Pettersen, Professor of Philosophy, University of Oslo
‘Beauvoir is well overdue for the philosophical credit she deserves, and this book is an important step in correcting the narrative.’
Los Angeles Review of Books
A virtual conversation
​The conversation will take place online via the Zoom videoconferencing app. When you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email. On the day of the event, you will receive a second email with a link to allow you into the event on Zoom.  Note that you don’t need to download Zoom in advance as it can be downloaded when you click on the event link which you will be sent on the day of the event. However we recommend downloading it in advance of the event if you haven’t already used it to avoid any difficulties on the day. ​

Ordering the book
Better Read than Dead, RSWWF’s bookseller, will send you the book postage-free. Order from their website here. If you buy the book from them, email reception@thewomensclub.com.au. We will send you a specially designed bookplate for this event signed by Kate.

PARTICIPANTS

Dr Kate Kirkpatrick is Fellow in Philosophy and Christian Ethics at Regents Park College at the University of Oxford. She was previously Lecturer in Religion, Philosophy and Culture at King’s College London. Her research focuses on philosophy, religion, and culture in twentieth-century French phenomenology, existentialism, and feminism—especially in the works of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre. She is interested in literature as a medium through which ethical and moral questions are explored. Dr Kirkpatrick’s publications include two works on Jean-Paul Sartre and a book on the mystical sources of existentialist thought. Becoming Beauvoir: A Life is her latest book. 
Catherine du Peloux Menagé has a background in educational publishing in the UK and Australia. She was co-founder of the St Albans Writers’ Festival in 2015 and was its Artistic Director from 2015-2018. She has facilitated sessions at that Festival as well as at the Sydney Writers’ Festival and at libraries around Sydney. She has been a member of the RSWWF Committee since 2018 and is currently Director of the Festival. She is also Artistic Director of BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival.
​​Date:  Tuesday 18 August 2020

Time: 6.00pm - 7.00pm (AEST)
Note: Bookings close 3pm  on 18 July.
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Location: Zoom video conferencing app. To set up zoom download from zoom.us/download.
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​Bookings:  Tickets are $15.00. Women's Club members may book via the member portal for $10.00.
​We gratefully acknowledge our 2020 sponsors. 
We gratefully thank our bookseller partner, Better Read than Dead.