This is the first volume to gather together all the classic critical texts on Simone de Beauvoir's work as a feminist, novelist and philosopher. The essays are divided into three sections examining her fiction, her life and her famous work The Second Sex.

In a compelling introduction Elizabeth Fallaize, examines how de Beauvoir's work has been read over time, contextualizes those readings within the evolution of feminism, and looks at her changing role within contemporary culture and thought.

The acclaimed contributors to this collection are: Judith Okely, Judith Butler, Sonia Kruks Beauvoir, Toril Moi, Eva Lundgren-Gothlin, Francis Jeanson, Alex Hughes, Elaine Marks, Hazel Barnes, Jane Heath, Anne Ophir and Elizabeth Fallaize