Abstract
The first Spanish version of The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir appeared in Buenos Aires in 1954, published by the Editorial Psique and translated by Pablo Palant. This little-known edition (the one from 1962 is much more popular) was read by few women in Argentina. However, both editions left their mark on feminists of the 1970s and ‘80s. This paper examines the impact of the book and how Beauvoir's lifestyle, which was unconventional for the time, influenced reception of the work. Simone and Jean Paul Sartre were a "free" couple (a kind of freedom that also appeared in the works of Beauvoir). They were communists who went to Cuba and anti-imperialists in favor of Algerian independence. Intellectual circles in Argentina, who admired French culture, followed the Sartrean discussions and many called themselves existentialists. Therefore, it is impossible to separate Beauvoir’s life and work and this is apparent in the accounts of the first women who read The Second Sex in Argentina and that we will analyze in the article.
Argentina Feminism; Impact; Freedom; Stories