At the Existentialist Café

Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails

By: Sarah Bakewell

Narrated by: Antonia Beamish

Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

From the best-selling author of How to Live, a spirited account of one of the 20th century's major intellectual movements and the revolutionary thinkers who came to shape it.

Paris, 1933: Three contemporaries meet over apricot cocktails at the Bec-de-Gaz bar on the rue Montparnasse. They are the young Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and longtime friend Raymond Aron, a fellow philosopher who raves to them about a new conceptual framework from Berlin called phenomenology. "You see," he says, "if you are a phenomenologist, you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy out of it!"

It was this simple phrase that would ignite a movement, inspiring Sartre to integrate phenomenology into his own French humanistic sensibility, thereby creating an entirely new philosophical approach inspired by themes of radical freedom, authentic being, and political activism. This movement would sweep through the jazz clubs and cafés of the Left Bank before making its way across the world as existentialism.

Featuring not only philosophers but also playwrights, anthropologists, convicts, and revolutionaries, At the Existentialist Café follows the existentialists' story from the first rebellious spark through the Second World War to its role in postwar liberation movements such as anticolonialism, feminism, and gay rights. Interweaving biography and philosophy, it is the epic account of passionate encounters - fights, love affairs, mentorships, rebellions, and long partnerships - and a vital investigation into what the existentialists have to offer us today, at a moment when we are once again confronting the major questions of freedom, global responsibility, and human authenticity in a fractious and technology-driven world.

©2016 Sarah Bakewell (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Polished, witty, often very funny, this stellar production is a rewarding and pleasurable choice. Even more, it proves to be uncannily relevant to the urgent challenges of our current day. " ( AudioFile)

PHILOSOPHY IS DEAD

Philosophy is dead. In “At the Existentialist Café” Sarah Bakewell expertly writes about the history of phenomenological and existentialist philosophy. She writes about the lives of Edmund Husserl, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, and other 19th and 20th century philosophers.

Husserl’s life begins Bakewell’s story in the 19th century. It is Husserl who focuses on the study of consciousness in human beings. To Husserl the nature of objects is determined by the experience of things in human consciousness. Husserl extends Rene Descartes’s “I think, therefore I am” to “I think; therefore, it is.”

Through a succession of followers, Husserl’s concept of reality evolves. Consciousness evolves to reveal truth in some ways and despicable lies in others. Ms. de Beauvoir reveals truths about being a woman in the world while Heidegger condones, if not endorses, Nazi atrocity. Albert Camus recognizes the meaninglessness and indifference of the universe while Jean-Paul Sartre believes in an evolution of human nature that makes communism inevitable.

There is enough information about philosophy and the lives of these philosophers to make a listener question philosophy’s value. Philosophy, like Nietzsche’s God, seems dead. This is not Bakewell’s conclusion but “At the Existentialist Café” suggests philosophers are as capable of predicting life’s meaning as political pundits and stockbrokers are at predicting elections and stock values. The truth of life’s meaning appears to be more a matter of luck than philosophical insight. Never-the-less, “At the Existentialist Café” is a highly interesting history of some very influential philosophers.

An excellent read:

Good telling of the relationships involved ar that time: Had read much on the subject and knew about the subject but this did much to bring them to life than just reading their works could. Great choice for my first audio book.

Can't Recommend this Title Highly Enough

This is perhaps the best book I've "read" in years. The way the author weaves the biographical narratives of these philosophers together with explanations and interpretations of their individual philosophies is masterful! What could have been an unbearably dull book is anything but thanks to the talent of the author. I really felt like I knew these luminaries after reading; something which is rare in my experience of biography. The author is fair in her portrayals of the figures she focuses on, neither overly sympathetic or overly critical, and therefore creates a realistic and relatable cast of characters.

It should be noted that the narrator is beyond excellent. Her accents sound natural and unaffected, while her "narrator voice" is pleasant to listen to on its own. While the book is wonderful on its own terms, it is undoubtedly enhanced by the masterful narration.

Excellent Intro to the Founders of Existentialism

Bakewell masterfully weaves together the forces and people that shaped into the philosophical school of existentialism while reflecting on her own philosophical journey. We learn about the personalities and conflicts of some of the greatest philosophers - which helps us to better understand their philosophical thoughts and conclusions. I highly recommend this book as supplemental course reading or simply as an engaging introduction to a movement in philosophy. It has something for everyone, whether you're new to the discipline or a seasoned philosopher.

Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

A nice and personalized introduction

The author did a very good job by introducing us to the major people and ideas of 20th century philosophical thought. she attempted to focus supposed to be on phenomenalism but she often went off to discuss more the biographies of leading thinkers including Camus and Sartre.

Beside de Beauvoir Merlau-Ponty was her favorite person because of his Pleasant demeanor and easier-to-read writings. I enjoyed listening to the book very much and I hope to dig into the book more and start reading some of the original authors and more depth.

Placing the philosopher in their time.

This is an excellent book that allows the reader some view of the context within which the philosopher lived. UnderstandIng
this context supports a broader understanding of the philosophers development of their philosophy and of the philosophy itself.

Very helpful!

I found this very interesting and very engaging. Well written, too! It was very helpful to have the ideas in the context of the times and of the lives of the thinkers.

Engaging Overview of Existentialism

I am a philosophy grad student studying the analytic philosophy of religion. Throughout my career as an academic, I have been quite puzzled about the seemingly arbitrary distinctions between analytic and continental philosophy. In my program, the thoughts of continental philosophers were quite frequently rejected on principle.

Reading a bit of Camus, however, I have become somewhat interested in existentialism, so when I saw this book come up in my recommended reading list, I decided to give it a go.

Over all, Beamish has filled me with the excitement and vivacity that naturally accompanies the story of existentialism. Her work perfectly balanced historical context with the philosophical thought of the works subjects—Beamish’s own insights were also just appreciated. Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast paced introduction to the brilliantly alluring world of existentialism.

The search for authenticity

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

For the quality of the writing and delivery of this history of an idea, yes. Both stand out.

Would you be willing to try another book from Sarah Bakewell? Why or why not?

Her book on Montaigne apparently is more a life-and-times than a critique of his Essays. I'd prefer the latter. She is engaging, but parts of this could not sustain my interest or alertness.

What about Antonia Beamish’s performance did you like?

She pronounces the French names with meticulous care. It's fun to hear her flatten her voice for Americans quoted. She conveys this formidable material as if the ideas just occurred to her, Normally I see she reads romances and genre fiction, but I encourage her to take on more intellectual material. She has a gift of staying erudite while reliably entertaining.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Simone Weil's curious life and self-engineered fate I knew of, but not as much her background as to such as Heidegger. The most interesting tidbit; that Terence Malick began as a philosopher studying that same man, before he channeled his search into film making.

Any additional comments?

More on the afterlife of the characters and their impact beyond the Beats. Sarah Bakewell tries her best to sum this up in a coda. But she does this and judges Sartre vs. Heidegger too. She needed to take more time to explore this. Also, I was surprised at the seeming absence of talk about the divine or the numinous, outside of H's mystic quest. Given some remained believers as well as existentialists (as in Simone Weil, who could have been a memorable character given a larger role) consideration of the varieties of this approach would have broadened its scope. Its depth is apparent, but sections of this left me sleepy.

A whirlwind study of existentialist philosophers

I loved following along with the author's personal experience with existentialist philosophy; it made the historical context, philosophical concepts, and biographies more accessible, while also leaving me wanting to read the actual philosophers' works.