Jean-Paul Sartre was once described as being, next to Charles de Gaulle, the most famous Frenchman of the 20th century. Between the ending of the Second World War in 1945 and his death in 1980, Sartre was certainly the most famous French writer, as well as one of the best-known living philosophers. 'Introducing Sartre' explains the basic ideas that inspired his existencial world view, and pays particular attention to his idea of freedom. It links the more general presuppositions of Sartre ́s philosophy to his ideas on Marxism and his support for movements of national liberation in the Third World, and explores the impact that his unusual childhood had on his attitude towards French society.