The Existentialist Café

*The Existentialist Café* by Sarah Bakewell explores the lives and ideas of key 20th-century philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and Martin Heidegger. It highlights how their personal experiences and beliefs shaped existentialist philosophy, which grapples with human freedom, responsibility, and the search for meaning in an often uncertain world. The book also situates their ideas within the broader cultural and historical context of post-World War II Europe, illustrating how their debates and writings continue to influence contemporary thought about individual existence and authenticity.