On American Fiction

Iconic French novelist, playwright and essayist, Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) is widely recognized as one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century, whose work has remained relevant and thought-provoking through the decades. The Seagull Sartre Library now presents some of his most incisive philosophical, cultural, and literary critical essays in twelve newly designed volumes.

Sartre’s engagement with literature of his day extended well beyond the works of his French contemporaries. This short volume testifies to his astonishing grasp of the nuances of American fiction as he analyzes three of the most important twentieth-century writers: John Dos Passos, Vladimir Nabokov and William Faulkner, whose ‘humanism’, writes Sartre, ‘is the only acceptable sort.’

About the Author

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was a French novelist, playwright, and biographer who is widely recognized as one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. His work earned him the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature.

About the Translator

Chris Turner is a translator and writer living in Birmingham, UK. He has translated more than eighty books from French and German.