Summer is approaching and maybe you are asking yourself, what should I read for fun? If you are interested in French female authors from the 20th century, the APU/UAA Consortium library has you covered. Below are 3 prominent French Authors whose work can be found amongst our shelves. Summer is a great opportunity to discover their lives and work.


Simone de Beauvoir

If you are interested in philosophy and feminism, Simone de Beauvoir checks both boxes. Born January 9th, 1908, de Beauvoir is most known for her 2 volume masterpiece, The Second Sex (Britannica, Simone de Beauvoir, 2026), which is available to borrow from the UAA Consortium Library. Her work ranges from autobiographical, philosophical and fiction. The UAA Consortium Library has copies of her work in both English and French.

Colette

If you are interested in scandal and love, these are topics Colette is famous for. Collette, born Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette January 28, 1873, began her writing career writing about a fictitious school girl named Claudine. Colette’s first husband claimed credit for her work publishing her work under his name. Once they separated she started to claim ownership of her work and has since been known and remembered by the monotone Colette (Self, 2023).

Marguerite Duras

Marguerite Duras was born in Vietnam and moved to study at the Sorbonne in Paris when she was 17. Novelist, screenwriter, playwright and even a film director Duras has many accomplishments associated with her name. Her semi-autobiographical novel The Lover won the prestigious Prix Goncourt, a French literary award (Britannica, Marguerite Duras, 2026).

To find work written by these trailblazing 20th Century female French authors, visit our Catalog.

References

Britannica. (2026, February 18). Simone de Beauvoir. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Simone-de-Beauvoir
Britannica. (2026, March 31). Marguerite Duras. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marguerite-Duras
Self, J. (2023, January 25). Colette: The most beloved French writer of all time. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230125-colette-the-most-beloved-french-writer-of-all-time