At the Existentialist Café
Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails
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At the Existentialist Café
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Narrated by:
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Antonia Beamish
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By:
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Sarah Bakewell
About this listen
Paris, near the turn of 1933. 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. Pointing to his drink, he says, 'You can make philosophy out of this cocktail!'
From this moment of inspiration, Sartre will create his own extraordinary philosophy of real, experienced life - of love and desire, of freedom and being, of cafés and waiters, of friendships and revolutionary fervour. It is a philosophy that will enthral Paris and sweep through the world, leaving its mark on post-war liberation movements, from the student uprisings of 1968 to civil rights pioneers.
At the Existentialist Café tells the story of modern existentialism as one of passionate encounters between people, minds and ideas. From the 'king and queen of existentialism' - Sartre and de Beauvoir - to their wider circle of friends and adversaries including Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Iris Murdoch, this audiobook is an enjoyable and original journey through a captivating intellectual movement.
Weaving biography and thought, Sarah Bakewell takes us to the heart of a philosophy about life that also changed lives, and that tackled the biggest questions of all: what we are and how we are to live.
©2016 Sarah Bakewell (P)2016 Audible, LtdListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"This lucid study of the existentialists picks out some overlooked figures and exposes the sexual hypocrisies of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre." (Jane O’Grady, Sunday Telegraph)
What listeners say about At the Existentialist Café
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- "unknown"
- 14-11-18
Great book, worse narration
I really liked the book and learned a lot from it. However, being Czech, I am appalled by the way the narrator pronounces Czech names. OK, not knowing how to read Břevnov Cemetery is understandable, but not knowing how to pronounce the name of our late president Václav Havel? Not to mention poor Patočka and others... would it be so hard to give the narrator a phonetic transcription? Vaklav Havl is going to haunt my dreams :(
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Grainne Baxter
- 25-05-21
excellent
really interesting mixture of history, philosophy, psychology and literature. well worth a listen, excellent narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kasia
- 31-12-20
Do much of the good content
One of the best audiobook of 2020! Sarah Bakewell did a fantastic job to research, combine all the facts together and create an unique story. Very inspiring and makes you think.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shells
- 28-02-18
a delight to listen to!
A pacy jaunt through existential philosophy focused on the interplay of characters at its heart.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jesse Rix
- 09-10-24
incredible! Amazing structure!
Breaks down all the main thoughts and ideas of popular existentialist philosophers, and illuminates them. The books interweaves the ideas in context for the time they were written and gives an in depth look at the philosopher's relationships with one another.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr Simon W D Borland
- 21-06-18
excellent review of many philohosophers lives
excellent review of many philohosophers lives. a well written story interweaving their ideas and interactions. I will listen again!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jason
- 19-06-18
Seeing the World differently now.
A wonderfully personal, relevant and engaging insight to the greatest philosophical work of our times.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Katkou
- 31-03-21
Very interesting
I always find it interesting to find more about the lives of my favorite philosophers.
Someone who is already familiar with their work would probably expect the writer to dig a little deeper. However, it gives you a new perspective and a more holistic view of people who have become legends. It is also a nice introduction for those who want to familiarise themselves with existentialism. Overall a yes from me.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-04-21
The heart is in there!!!
I never actually thought I would be interested in existentialism, but I'm so happy I had decided to listen to this book! The narrator is just great and the story is well written and researched. It's not at all boring, it takes you in, you're part of the people's life, and that is the best way I can describe it. They are people, not remote, sophisticated, idealised philosophers who managed to find the TRUTH, but real people, who didn't, but who tried and maybe sometimes got close. Sarah makes you feel part of the bend, you often don't agree with them or her, they even don't agree with each other, but it's fun, lots of fun!!! And you learn... So: just brilliant!!!👏
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- andie
- 22-12-20
Wonderfully woven together. To read over and over
Wonderfully woven together. To read over and over again. Eye opening and enriching. Biography and lecture combined.
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