At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails

«At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails» is an extraordinary book by Sarah Bakewell that introduces readers to the history of existentialism, one of the most influential philosophical movements of the 20th century. The author tells the story of three main characters — Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Raymond Aron — who gathered in Parisian cafes in the 1930s, ordered apricot cocktails, chose their seats at the table, and discussed philosophical questions, debated the meaning of life and freedom, and embodied new ideas. Sarah Bakewell masterfully combines biographical details, philosophical reflections, and atmospheric descriptions of Paris at that time, creating an exciting and informative book in which young people sought their place in the world, sought to understand the meaning of being, and fought for freedom of personality.