Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986), studied philosophy at the Sorbonne and taught for a number of years before leaving academic life to write. She became a leading French public intellectual, political activist, feminist theorist, and social theorist, her most influential book being The Second Sex, a classic study of what it means to be a woman. Beauvoir did not consider herself a philosopher, but her significant contributions to existentialism have solidified her legacy in that field. She also wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography in several volumes, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and social issues.
