Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (January 9, 1908 - April 14, 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer and social theorist. Beauvoir wrote novels, essays, biographies, autobiographies, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and social issues. She was best known for her "trailblazing work in feminist philosophy," including The Second Sex, published in 1949, a detailed analysis of women's oppression and a foundational tract of contemporary feminism.  The following is from a 1976 interview (in English).