Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) was a French philosopher, writer and leading representative of existentialism. He studied philosophy in Paris and quickly distinguished himself as an intellectual. His philosophical works, such as Being and Nothingness (1943), explore freedom, responsibility and human existence. Sartre also wrote novels and plays, the most famous of which are Nausea (1938) and Behind Closed Doors (1944). He was actively involved in politics, advocating Marxist ideas, but refused the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964, believing that it would threaten his independence. His personal and intellectual life was marked by his relationship with the philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. Sartre left an indelible mark in philosophy, literature and social engagement.