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French heritage: iconic artists among authors (3/3)
This sheet presents French artists, in particular French authors of the 20th century.
Key points of the sheet
- Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) is a writer and a major figure of feminism. She defends the freedom, equality and emancipation of women.
- In Le Deuxième Sexe, she writes: "One is not born a woman, one becomes one". Her other famous writings are Les Mémoires d’une jeune fille rangée and Les Mandarins.
- Albert Camus (1913-1960) is a writer, philosopher and journalist. He develops the notion of the absurd and defends freedom.
- Camus receives the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957. His famous novels include L’Étranger, La Peste, Le Mythe de Sisyphe and La Chute.
- Marguerite Yourcenar (1903-1987) writes deep historical novels. She reflects on power, love, destiny and memory.
- In 1980, she is the first woman elected to the Académie française. Her famous writings are Mémoires d’Hadrien, l’Œuvre au noir and Alexis ou le traité du vain combat.
Words to know
- feminism (féminisme)
- Simone de Beauvoir is a major figure of 20th-century feminism.
- The Second Sex (Le Deuxième Sexe)
- It is a book by Simone de Beauvoir. It contains the sentence "One is not born a woman, one becomes one".
- the absurd (l’absurde)
- It is a notion developed by Albert Camus. It is the feeling of a gap between our need for meaning and a world that offers none.
- Nobel Prize in Literature (prix Nobel de littérature)
- Albert Camus receives this prize in 1957.
- Académie française (French Academy)
- Marguerite Yourcenar is the first woman elected to the Académie française, in 1980.
Test yourself: 3 questions
In which year does Albert Camus receive the Nobel Prize in Literature?
In French, the language of the exam: En quelle année Albert Camus reçoit-il le prix Nobel de littérature ?
Albert Camus receives the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957.
In which book do we read "One is not born a woman, one becomes one"?
In French, the language of the exam: Dans quel livre lit-on « On ne naît pas femme, on le devient » ?
Simone de Beauvoir writes this sentence in her book Le Deuxième Sexe.
Who is the first woman elected to the Académie française?
In French, the language of the exam: Qui est la première femme élue à l’Académie française ?
In 1980, Marguerite Yourcenar becomes the first woman elected to the Académie française.
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Questions on the ministry's list that rest on this sheet
- Which writer is French?
- Who was Marguerite Yourcenar?
- Who was Simone de Beauvoir?
- Who is a famous French woman writer?
More in this topic (Culture)
- French heritage: iconic artists among painters
- French heritage: iconic artists among sculptors
- French heritage: the French language in the world
Source
Sheet “Patrimoine français : des artistes emblématiques parmi les auteurs (3/3)” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.