After the worldwide bestseller "The Age of the Sorcerers" – the new book by Wolfram Eilenberger

"A book that belongs under every Christmas tree."
Denis Scheck, Druckfrisch, December 2020

"Regardless of what one previously knew about thinking in the 20th century: Here, one will become smarter in an exciting way."
Elke Schmitter, Der Spiegel, October 2020

The adventurous lives of four extraordinary women who fought for our freedom during dark times. Simone de Beauvoir, Hannah Arendt, Simone Weil, and Ayn Rand: With great narrative skill, Wolfram Eilenberger depicts the dramatic life paths of the most influential female philosophers of the 20th century. Amidst the turmoil of World War II, they laid the foundation for a truly free, emancipated society as refugees and resistance fighters, outcasts and enlightened thinkers.

The years 1933 to 1943 mark the darkest chapter of European modernity. In the face of catastrophe, four philosophers—Simone de Beauvoir, Simone Weil, Ayn Rand, and Hannah Arendt—develop their visionary ideas: on the relationship between the individual and society, between man and woman, between sex and gender, between freedom and totalitarianism, between God and humanity. Their adventurous journey takes them from Stalin's Leningrad to Hollywood, from Hitler's Berlin and occupied Paris to New York; but above all, it leads to revolutionary thoughts without which our present—and future—would not be the same. Their existences—as refugees, activists, and resistance fighters—serve as lived philosophy and impressively testify to the liberating power of thought. A magnificent book about four global icons who exemplified what it means to lead a truly free life at the brink of the 20th century, with a lasting impact to this day.

How four philosophers designed a new world in a dark decade

It is a decade of political extremes. The Great Depression sets in.