The Philosopher Who Took Happiness Seriously
In her writings, Simone de Beauvoir repeatedly returned to a childhood friendship that deeply influenced her views on freedom and human desire.
In , Simone de Beauvoir remembers that as a child, she imagined her best friend, Élisabeth “Zaza” Lacoin, dying, and her schoolteacher announcing that Zaza had been called away to God. In that case, de Beauvoir thought, “Well … I should die on the spot. I would slide off my seat and fall lifeless to the ground.” In her novel , based on her relationship with Zaza, she describes an identical feeling. Sylvie Lepage (de Beauvoir’s stand-in for herself) is captivated by the tiny figure of Andrée Gallard (her stand-in for Zaza) confidently crossing a wide boulevard after school; soon after, she declares to herself that if the vivacious Andrée died, she
