Jean+Paul+Sartre

Jean Paul Sartre was  a French philosopher, playwright, novelist and more. He was born on June 21, 1905 in Paris, France. He was an only child to Jean-Baptiste Sartre, a French naval officer, and Anne Marie Schweitzer. At the age of 2, Jean’s father passed away and he and his mother moved to the home of his maternal grandfather. Jean’s grandfather was a professor at the Sorbonne and introduced him to classic literature at a young age.

Jean started his interest in philosophy as a teenager and studied in Paris. In 1929, he met his future companion, Simone de Beauvoir, who also went on to become a writer, philosopher and well known feminist. Jean Paul became a professor and taught at Le Havre, publishing La Nausée in 1938, his first claim to fame. He was of the belief that one’s ideas are the product or real life experiences and felt that this could expressed through novels. This novel was written in diary form and narrates the feeling of disgust, or nausea, that a historian undergoes when he feels that inanimate objects and situations intrude on his ability to define himself. Jean Paul was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1964. However, he declined it because he felt that a write shouldn't allow themselves to be be turned into an institution. He was the first to decline such an honor, and remains one of only two people to ever do so.

In the meantime, Sartre abandoned teaching and was determined to support himself by writing. He also felt strongly that his writing and thinking should be his main focus. He made a public stand on every great question of his day. Jean Sartre turned to playwriting and eventually produced a series of theater successes. Over time he became almost blind. His chain-smoking habits were also a factor in his deteriorating health and he died on April 15, 1980 from fluid in his lungs.