A Transatlantic Love Affair: Letters to Nelson Algren

by Simone de Beauvoir, Sylvie Le Bon de Beauvoir, Nelson Algren

Book Overview

In 1947, Simone de Beauvoir met Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Nelson Algren in Chicago, and it was love at first sight. A passionate affair ensued, spanning twenty years and four continents in an era when a transatlantic flight took twenty-four hours and overseas telephone calls were a luxury. A Transatlantic Love Affair collects more than three hundred love letters written in English by de Beauvoir to Algren.

Unique among the prolific correspondence...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565845609
• ISBN13: 9781565845602
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: New Press
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic book with insights into de Beauvoir's character

To correct the reader from Brookline, this book is exactly the same as "Beloved Chicago Man"- it's the same book with different titles in the US and the UK. As the reviewers below state, this is a great window into the relationship between Algren & de Beauvoir, and shows the truth feelings of de Beauvoir.

Exceptional Characters, Universal Human Conditions

This tome unites fascinating, ethereal elements of time and place with the more mundane features of long-distance love.First, the unique bits of which only Simone de Beauvoir can honestly write: The intellectual scene of post-WWII Paris, firsthand knowledge of Camus and Sartre, a complex network of friendships mixing the communities of European intelligentsia, fascists, existentialists, writers, and actors. Then, of course, there is the head-over-heels love in which she found herself with Nelson Algren, noted American author, immediately upon making his acquaintance. All of these interesting facets add spice to this book.Surprisingly, what truly makes this book unforgettable, impossible to put down, at times embarrassing in its candor and recognizable to the reader are its themes of commonality to everyone else on the planet. Anyone who has ever fallen in love, suffered instant infatuation for another, missed the touch of a far-away lover, or slogged through a long-distance relationship will relate/commiserate/understand/anticipate both the words and the feelings behind them.Simone de Beauvoir wrote all of these letters to Nelson Algren in English (not her native French); happily, the misspellings and grammatical errors are preserved without correction. The reader will note progressive improvement in her English abilities as the correspondence lengthens and her relationship matures.I believe all readers will find these pages touching, satisfying, and intriguing. Those of you who have experienced long-distance passion will enjoy the letters as well, but with the distinct pain of knowing the inevitable conclusion in advance.

Amazing insights in de Beauvoir

This book gives a real insight into de Beauvoir's character- after reading these letters, one will never again look upon her as a cold intellectual. If anything, they show that the passion she felt with Algren could not compare to whatever sort of relationship she had with Sartre. Reveals de Beauvoir's true self more than any of her autobiographies.