America Day by Day
Simone de Beauvoir
America Day by Day
A diary of Beauvoir's 1947 journey across the United States, observant about race and class but limited by a visiting European's viewpoint.
Read our takeThe Long March
Simone de Beauvoir
The Long March
Beauvoir's account of a 1955 visit to the People's Republic of China, useful as a record of political travel and limited as an assessment of the state she toured.
- 1957
- Atmospheric
- political
- challenging
- voice-driven
About Simone de Beauvoir
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freeAfter traveling in China as part of an invited French group, Beauvoir described the country's history, daily life, family structures, industry, and Communist government. The book records what an official visit allowed her to see and the political conclusions she drew from it.
The story, in more detail
The book tries to explain the new People's Republic to French readers less than a decade after the revolution. Beauvoir discusses cities, villages, work, women, education, religion, and political organization rather than writing only a personal diary.
Its confidence requires caution. The journey was organized, access was controlled, and later evidence makes clear that visitors could not independently assess coercion or the coming disasters of state policy. The book matters as a document of Western left-wing engagement with revolutionary China, not as a complete description of China in 1955.
The argument
Beauvoir begins with historical and political context for readers unfamiliar with the Chinese revolution.
Chapters move through observed work, family life, education, culture, religion, and the status of women.
The concluding assessment argues for the achievements she believed she saw while revealing the limits of information available on the official tour.
Why we recommend it
Why it matters
It is an important case study in how committed intellectuals interpreted revolutionary states through managed travel.
Where it fits
Read it after America Day by Day to compare Beauvoir's methods and assumptions in two very different political journeys.
What this book explores
Timeline
1957
Gallimard publishes La Longue marche in Paris.
English editions
Translations publish the work under the title The Long March; dates and wording vary by edition.
Book editions
Paperback
- Paperback
- Gallimard
- 1957
Reader reviews
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Read our takeThe Long March: frequently asked questions
What is The Long March by Simone de Beauvoir about?
After traveling in China as part of an invited French group, Beauvoir described the country's history, daily life, family structures, industry, and Communist government. The book records what an official visit allowed her to see and the political conclusions she drew from it.
When was The Long March published?
Gallimard first published La Longue marche in French in 1957.
Should I read The Long March 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 The Long March.