Shortlisted for the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize
Paris, near the turn of 1932-3. Three young friends meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and their friend Raymond Aron, who opens their eyes to a radical new way of thinking-
-It-s not often that you miss your bus stop because you-re so engrossed in reading a book about existentialism, but I did exactly that... The story of Sartre, Beauvoir, Camus, Heidegger et al is strange, fun and compelling reading. If it doesn-t win awards, I will eat my copy- Independent on Sunday
-Bakewell shows how fascinating were some of the existentialists- ideas and how fascinating, often frightful, were their lives. Vivid, humorous anecdotes are interwoven with a lucid and unpatronising exposition of their complex philosophy- Tender, incisive and fair- Daily Telegraph
-Quirky, funny, clear and passionate- Few writers are
