At The Existentialist Cafe Av Sarah Bakewell

<p><b>Shortlisted for the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize</b><br><br><b>Paris, near the turn of 1932-3.</b> 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¿<br><br>¿It¿s not often that you miss your bus stop because you¿re so engrossed in reading a book about existentialism, but I did exactly that... The story of Sartre, Beauvoir, Camus, Heidegger et al is strange, fun and compelling reading. If it doesn¿t win awards, I will eat my copy¿ <i>Independent on Sunday</i><br><br>¿Bakewell shows how fascinating were some of the existentialists¿ ideas and how fascinating, often frightful, were their lives. Vivid, humorous anecdotes are interwoven with a lucid and unpatronising exposition of their complex philosophy¿ Tender, incisive and fair¿ <i>Daily Telegraph</i><br><br>¿Quirky, funny, clear and passionate¿ Few writers are