Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, and feminist activist best known for her seminal work *The Second Sex* (1949), which laid the foundation for modern feminism by analyzing women's oppression.[1][2][4] She had a lifelong partnership with Jean-Paul Sartre, taught philosophy until 1943, and co-founded the review *Les Temps Modernes* in 1945, producing novels, essays, and memoirs that explored existential themes.[1][2][4] She received the Prix Goncourt in 1954 for *Les Mandarins* and remained active in political causes until her death in 1986.[4][6]