Existentialism and Jean Paul Sartre

                           Jean Paul Sartre                          

                             

 In this article, the French philosopher-writer Jean Paul Sartre and his existentialism are figured out.

Jean Paul Sartre was born in Paris in 1905. He worked as a teacher for a while at the beginning of the second World War. He also reviewed lots of literary works with his best friend, Gustave Flaubert. During the second world War he joined the war as a soldier. After short time, he was captured by Soviet army. Interestingly, due to his captivity he felt intimacy to the Soviet communism. To give example his political magazine is the best sample to prove this situation, and this political magazine is known as Les Temps Modernes.

Also, he has popular books such as Nausea (Bulantı) The wall(Duvar),The words(Sözcükler),Age of reason (Akıl çağı) and Existentialism is humanism.

In 1959, The words which was written by Jean Paul Sartre was awarded the Nobel prize for literature. (Nobel prize is given by Swedish Royal Science Academy in Stockholm).

So why didn't he get The Nobel prize which is the dream of almost all writers?

Sartre sent a letter to prevent award being given to him by Swedish Academy. He sent this letter to Swedish Academy in order not to humiliate neither the institution nor the prize. But unfortunately letter wasn't reached the Swedish Academy in time. The fact that he didn't want the Nobel prize is both individual and objective reasons. Individual reason is explained like this; Sartre always believes in writers always writes both paper and pen not the prize. When the object the reason is considered; He thinks the Nobel prize is given to persons who are insurgent between West and East blocks. 

Then, what kind of things he defended during his life?

Of course, Existentialism. Actually existentialism started since 17 century. This idea also started with Blaise Pascal and there were great examples of this opinion such as Nitche, Dostoyevski, Camus, Heidegger.

Existentialism is humanism. J.P.S

Sartre explains his idea as optimistic, because all of the people are same with eachother. To be a hero or a villian in their hands, because people were born neither a hero or a wicked. That is, to be helpful to social environment is decision of us. The purpose of humanism in the feature of people. Because has a power to change their lives, Sartre loves humanism. According to Sartre, people decide what they should be. People create themselves after they are born.