Facts:- Lived from 1905-1980.
- Sartre was born in Paris and spent most of his life there
- He was a professor of philosophy before joining the French Army at the start of World War II
- In 1940, he was captured by the Germans and spent a year as a prisoner of war
- Although he was not politically involved in the 1930's, Sartre became more committed to social reform after WWII. He never joined the French Communist party, but he sympathized with the movement.
- Sartre was distrustful of authority and institutions. It is for this reason that he declined the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964, saying, "It is not the same thing if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre or if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre, Nobel Prize winner. A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution, even if it takes place in the most honorable form." (Sartre.org : Biography)
- The theme of freedom shows up in many of his literary works. "No Exit" deals with the absence of freedom that results when living through other people. The play "Morts sans sepulture", translated as "The Victors" dealt with torture during the German Occupation, suggesting that, "even under torture and threat of death, one is free to choose; that this choice cannot be evaded, nor can it be made other than in utter loneliness; and that one is responsible for all its consequences." (Jean-Paul Sartre Biography)
- Sartre put great value on his mind, saying, "I’ve got a golden brain." (Existential Primer: Jean-Paul Sartre) However, he rejected his body, ignoring fatigue and pain, resenting the time he had to spend taking care of its needs, and recklessly using stimulants and mescaline.
YouTube video on Sartre's life and philosophy
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