Force of Circumstance
Simone de Beauvoir
Force of Circumstance
The third memoir volume, covering postwar fame, political conflict, travel, The Second Sex, and the Algerian War.
Read our takeAll Said and Done
Simone de Beauvoir
All Said and Done
A later memoir in which Beauvoir reviews her work, travel, political commitments, friendships, and changing experience of age.
- 1972
About Simone de Beauvoir
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freeRather than continue a strict year-by-year story, Beauvoir organizes this volume around subjects that mattered in her later life. She revisits books, films, places, activism, friendships, and the question of whether her choices still made sense when viewed from old age.
The story, in more detail
The structure is reflective and thematic. Beauvoir can compare the person who made a choice with the older writer who now knows more of its consequences, though the account remains her own argument rather than a final verdict.
Political engagement includes opposition to the Vietnam War, support for anti-colonial movements, and renewed feminist activism. Personal sections consider travel, work, health, friendship, and the shrinking future without treating old age as a single mood.
The life covered
Beauvoir reviews the values and projects that organized her life instead of merely extending the chronology of Force of Circumstance.
She discusses political action, literature, art, travel, friendships, and the practical changes brought by aging.
The book asks what can be concluded about a life while it is still being lived and while public commitments continue to demand action.
Why we recommend it
Why it matters
It is the most useful late self-assessment to read after the first three memoir volumes.
Where it fits
Pair it with The Coming of Age to compare social analysis of aging with Beauvoir's account of aging herself.
What this book explores
Timeline
1972
Gallimard publishes Tout compte fait in Paris.
English editions
Translations publish the work under the title All Said and Done; dates and wording vary by edition.
Book editions
Paperback
- Paperback
- Gallimard
- 1972
Reader reviews
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The Coming of Age
Simone de Beauvoir
The Coming of Age
A wide study of how societies understand old age and how material conditions shape the lives of older people.
Read our takeAll Said and Done: frequently asked questions
What is All Said and Done by Simone de Beauvoir about?
Rather than continue a strict year-by-year story, Beauvoir organizes this volume around subjects that mattered in her later life. She revisits books, films, places, activism, friendships, and the question of whether her choices still made sense when viewed from old age.
When was All Said and Done published?
Gallimard first published Tout compte fait in French in 1972.
Should I read All Said and Done first?
Usually not. Start with The Second Sex for Beauvoir's major argument, Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter for her life, or The Mandarins for a novel, then return to All Said and Done.