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Intimacy and Other Stories
Zawartość - Intymność- Pokój- Mur
272 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Jean-Paul Sartre
1,098 books13k followersJean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism. Sartre was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology). His work has influenced sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory, and literary studies. He was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature despite attempting to refuse it, saying that he always declined official honors and that "a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution."
Sartre held an open relationship with prominent feminist and fellow existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. Together, Sartre and de Beauvoir challenged the cultural and social assumptions and expectations of their upbringings, which they considered bourgeois, in both lifestyles and thought. The conflict between oppressive, spiritually destructive conformity (mauvaise foi, literally, 'bad faith') and an "authentic" way of "being" became the dominant theme of Sartre's early work, a theme embodied in his principal philosophical work Being and Nothingness (L'Être et le Néant, 1943). Sartre's introduction to his philosophy is his work Existentialism Is a Humanism (L'existentialisme est un humanisme, 1946), originally presented as a lecture.
Sartre held an open relationship with prominent feminist and fellow existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. Together, Sartre and de Beauvoir challenged the cultural and social assumptions and expectations of their upbringings, which they considered bourgeois, in both lifestyles and thought. The conflict between oppressive, spiritually destructive conformity (mauvaise foi, literally, 'bad faith') and an "authentic" way of "being" became the dominant theme of Sartre's early work, a theme embodied in his principal philosophical work Being and Nothingness (L'Être et le Néant, 1943). Sartre's introduction to his philosophy is his work Existentialism Is a Humanism (L'existentialisme est un humanisme, 1946), originally presented as a lecture.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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February 27, 2008Sartre's a bit didactic. This book makes me think of emo adolescent boys, actually.
April 1, 2013
A volume containing five stories. Each of these is repugnant in its own way, coming a little too close to the characters' personalities for the reader's comfort. The protagonists in the stories all deal with existentialist crises, much like Roquentin in Nausea does (in fact, some passages contain identical phrasing to describe these feelings). The stories:
"Intimacy." A fairly straightforward account of a wife who almost leaves her impotent husband. She suffers in that, like Roquentin, the essence of people is stripped away for her, and she sees nothing but their rather disgusting existence.
"Erostratus." A portrait of a serial killer (predating Henry). He can't handle humans existing all around him either, and fires off a diatribe against humanists, just like you-know-who again.
"The Wall." The agony of men who know they will die (they are to be shot the next day). An amazing excursion into this mindframe, with an oddly rote ironical ending.
"The Childhood of a Leader." How a boy grows disenchanted and turns to anti-semitism, believing he can find the reason for existence in power. Hard to read, the same way Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold is.
"The Room." An insane man, and his wife who wants to live as he does, see what he sees. ...Er, didn't quite get this one.
"Intimacy." A fairly straightforward account of a wife who almost leaves her impotent husband. She suffers in that, like Roquentin, the essence of people is stripped away for her, and she sees nothing but their rather disgusting existence.
"Erostratus." A portrait of a serial killer (predating Henry). He can't handle humans existing all around him either, and fires off a diatribe against humanists, just like you-know-who again.
"The Wall." The agony of men who know they will die (they are to be shot the next day). An amazing excursion into this mindframe, with an oddly rote ironical ending.
"The Childhood of a Leader." How a boy grows disenchanted and turns to anti-semitism, believing he can find the reason for existence in power. Hard to read, the same way Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold is.
"The Room." An insane man, and his wife who wants to live as he does, see what he sees. ...Er, didn't quite get this one.
July 27, 2025
Behind the Walls of the Self: My Uneasy Reflections on Sartre’s Intimacy and Other Stories
Reading Intimacy and Other Stories by Jean-Paul Sartre was like sitting in a dimly lit room with strangers who quietly confess their most uncomfortable truths. Each story felt like peeling back the skin of civility to find something raw, restless, and entirely human underneath.
The title story, Intimacy, was the one that struck me first. It’s not about love as we wish it to be, but about the messy, unspoken distances we maintain even in our closest relationships. I felt unsettled — not because I couldn’t relate, but because I could.
Sartre's characters are often adrift: consumed by self-awareness, paralyzed by choice, clinging to meaning where there may be none. Yet I found that familiar too. The tone is unsentimental, even harsh, but not without insight. It’s as if Sartre is daring us to sit with discomfort rather than escape it.
What impressed me most was his ability to show freedom not as a grand philosophical idea, but as something lived — often painfully — in moments of indecision, isolation, or failed connection.
Finishing the book left me quiet. Not uplifted, not broken, but aware — of myself, of others, of all the unspoken spaces between us. Sartre doesn’t offer comfort, but he offers recognition. And sometimes, that’s exactly what I need.
Reading Intimacy and Other Stories by Jean-Paul Sartre was like sitting in a dimly lit room with strangers who quietly confess their most uncomfortable truths. Each story felt like peeling back the skin of civility to find something raw, restless, and entirely human underneath.
The title story, Intimacy, was the one that struck me first. It’s not about love as we wish it to be, but about the messy, unspoken distances we maintain even in our closest relationships. I felt unsettled — not because I couldn’t relate, but because I could.
Sartre's characters are often adrift: consumed by self-awareness, paralyzed by choice, clinging to meaning where there may be none. Yet I found that familiar too. The tone is unsentimental, even harsh, but not without insight. It’s as if Sartre is daring us to sit with discomfort rather than escape it.
What impressed me most was his ability to show freedom not as a grand philosophical idea, but as something lived — often painfully — in moments of indecision, isolation, or failed connection.
Finishing the book left me quiet. Not uplifted, not broken, but aware — of myself, of others, of all the unspoken spaces between us. Sartre doesn’t offer comfort, but he offers recognition. And sometimes, that’s exactly what I need.
December 30, 2025
i agree w Jay that Sartre is a beautiful writer but seems like probably sucked a lot as a person
April 26, 2016
This was my first Sartre experience, but I went in without any solid expectations. This is a collection of five stories.
"Intimacy" - I didn't care for the titular story. The main character's disgust with the human body was explained well enough, but the story was dull. None of the characters were remotely sympathetic, and the supposedly uncomfortable truth of how weird bodies are didn't impress me.
"Erostratus" - I found this one more interesting. We again see a main character that is unsympathetic and apart from society, only this one seeks infamy through murder. It's not really a satisfying read, but I don't know if the subject matter allows reader satisfaction.
"The Wall" - This story has the closest thing to sympathetic characters as this collection can offer. Wrongly (or not) accused men await their impending execution, and the lead character finds himself feeling apart from the rest of society because he has truly accepted death. This was definitely my favorite story of the bunch.
"The Childhood of a Leader" - The longest story is also the dullest. An entitled child feels out of place in society and tried several different philosophies to find his place. He settles on antisemitism, as it helps define himself to the world and seems to earn him the respect he craves. The story started off boring, as the child is unlikable and an entitled blowhard, but it gets disturbing as he solidifies his antisemitism.
"The Room" - A wife seems to want to join her husband as he descends into madness, as she seems to want only him and his room to be her reality. This is a confusing one, and the parallels between the parents and the daughter certainly mean something...but I don't know what. I didn't like the story, anyway.
Overall, there sure are a lot of characters being apart from the world around them. While I thought The Wall and Erostratus were interesting, I was indifferent to The Room and Intimacy, and I actively disliked The Childhood of a Leader. Most of the characters were insufferable and arrogant; none of them are likable. I will absolutely give credit where it's due --- these are unpleasant stories from a talented writer, who clearly wanted to make them unpleasant. Mission accomplished.
"Intimacy" - I didn't care for the titular story. The main character's disgust with the human body was explained well enough, but the story was dull. None of the characters were remotely sympathetic, and the supposedly uncomfortable truth of how weird bodies are didn't impress me.
"Erostratus" - I found this one more interesting. We again see a main character that is unsympathetic and apart from society, only this one seeks infamy through murder. It's not really a satisfying read, but I don't know if the subject matter allows reader satisfaction.
"The Wall" - This story has the closest thing to sympathetic characters as this collection can offer. Wrongly (or not) accused men await their impending execution, and the lead character finds himself feeling apart from the rest of society because he has truly accepted death. This was definitely my favorite story of the bunch.
"The Childhood of a Leader" - The longest story is also the dullest. An entitled child feels out of place in society and tried several different philosophies to find his place. He settles on antisemitism, as it helps define himself to the world and seems to earn him the respect he craves. The story started off boring, as the child is unlikable and an entitled blowhard, but it gets disturbing as he solidifies his antisemitism.
"The Room" - A wife seems to want to join her husband as he descends into madness, as she seems to want only him and his room to be her reality. This is a confusing one, and the parallels between the parents and the daughter certainly mean something...but I don't know what. I didn't like the story, anyway.
Overall, there sure are a lot of characters being apart from the world around them. While I thought The Wall and Erostratus were interesting, I was indifferent to The Room and Intimacy, and I actively disliked The Childhood of a Leader. Most of the characters were insufferable and arrogant; none of them are likable. I will absolutely give credit where it's due --- these are unpleasant stories from a talented writer, who clearly wanted to make them unpleasant. Mission accomplished.
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May 24, 2007Lulu's story is actually funny.. a very boring first person narrative..
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September 9, 2008...sometimes words and clothes have a lot more do to with each other than one might think....
November 14, 2008
'enjoyable' 'captivating' after reading one of the stories i considered hard the possibility of tranposing its plot over my entire novel. sartre was a small man
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June 25, 2016June 2016
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews