Old Age

The iconic feminist Simone de Beauvoir explores ageing in this wide-ranging and radical book, the definitive study of the universal experience of growing old.

Growing old is the only alternative to death – part of life’s natural journey for those of us lucky enough to get there. In this book, the spiritual successor to her groundbreaking work of feminism The Second Sex, de Beauvoir explores in depth life’s inevitable, universal journey. The Second Sex reveals how women are othered, Old Age dissects the othering of the elderly.

Arguing for a radical rethinking of ageing and advocating for an old-age movement that challenges capitalism, de Beauvoir urges us to make active choices in how we age. In this holistic and ambitious book she calls for valuing the wisdom, creativity and capability of all people, unconnected to their economic value in society.

‘A brilliant achievement’ New York Times