A historian and biographer, Claudine Monteil has been a militant for women’s rights since the 1970s. She is most notably the author of Les Amants de la liberté (first published in 1999), Simone de Beauvoir, côté femme (2006) and Les Soeurs Beauvoir (first published in 2003). She is the daughter of the mathematician Jean-Pierre Serre.

Claudine Monteil met Simone de Beauvoir in 1970 and the two women carried out a sustained correspondence until Beauvoir’s death in 1986. This book prolongs their interrupted conversation through a series of letters evoking their friendship and the life of the author of The Second Sex.
After focusing on women’s history in the 20th century, Monteil goes on to examine the female condition today: what is the present state of women’s rights, liberties and struggles? How does one become a woman today?

• Based on a number of women’s profiles and personal stories, Claudine Monteil provides a detailed portrayal of women’s lives today.
• The author evokes a friendship of nearly twenty years with the greatest figure of 20th century feminism.
• A literary success and a moving document.