Jean-Paul Sartre books in order
French existentialist philosopher
- Lived
- 1905–1980
- Country
- France
- Books
- 79
- Series
- 1
- Also writes as
- Jacques Guillemin
Jean-Paul Sartre published 17 novels, 3 novellas, 1 short story collection, 24 non-fiction books, 1 poetry collection, 14 plays and 19 other books, beginning with Nausea (1938). The series is The Roads to Freedom (3 books, starting with The Age of Reason).
Updated September 2026
The Roads to Freedom books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Age of Reason (1945) · 2 The Reprieve (1945) · 3 Troubled Sleep (1949)
- 1.
The Age of Reason (1945)
- 2.
The Reprieve (1945)
- 3.
Troubled Sleep (1949)
Where to start with Jean-Paul Sartre
Start here
Nausea
Jean-Paul Sartre's most-read book.
Shortest way in
Existentialism and Humanism
One of the most-read, at about 141 pages.
Standalone novels in order
Nausea (1938)
The Imaginary (1940)
Anti-Semite and Jew (1946)
Situations I (1947)
The Chips Are Down (1947)
Les Mains Sales. Piece En Sept Tableaux (1948)
Iron In The Soul (1949)
La Mort Dans L'ame (1949)
Situations III (1949)
Search for a Method (1957)
Colonialism and Neocolonialism (1964)
L' Idiot De La Famille (1971)
The Family Idiot (1981)
Jean-Paul Sartre (2000)
Novellas in order
The Transcendence of the Ego (1936)
Existentialism and Humanism (1946)
Huis Clos (1962)
Short story collections in order
The Wall (1939)
Non-fiction in order
Being and Nothingness (1943)
Literature and Existentialism (1948)
What Is Literature? (1948)
Saint Genet (1952)
Literary Essays (1957)
Critique of Dialectical Reason (1960)
Literature & Existentialism (1962)
Sketch for a Theory of the Emotions (1962)
Essays in Aesthetics (1963)
Saint Genet, Actor and Martyr (1963)
The Words (1964)
The Communists and Peace (1965)
The Philosophy of Existentialism (1965)
The Philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre (1965)
Of Human Freedom (1966)
Sartre by Himself (1967)
Essays in Existentialism (1968)
Literary and Philosophical Essays (1968)
Between Existentialism and Marxism (1974)
Life/Situations (1977)
L' Imaginaire (1980)
War Diaries of Jean Paul Sartre (1985)
We Have Only This Life To Live Selected Essays Of Jeanpaul Sartre 19391975 (2012)
Existentialism and Human Emotions (2015)
Poetry in order
The Aftermath of War (Situations Iii) (2008)
Plays in order
No Exit (1947)
The Flies (1947)
The Respectful Prostitute (1947)
The Victors (1947)
Dirty Hands (Apr 1948)
Three Plays (1949)
The Devil and the Good Lord (1951)
In the Mesh (1954)
Nekrassov (1956)
The Condemned of Altona (Sep 1959)
Les Mouches (1962)
Kean (1972)
Un Théâtre De Situations (1973)
The Freud Scenario (1985)
Other books in order
Les Chemins De La Liberté (1945)
Les Jeux Sont Faits (1947)
Intimacy (1948)
The Emotions (1948)
The Emotions, Outline of a Theory (1948)
The Psychology of Imagination (1948)
Existential Psychoanalysis (1953)
No Exit & Three Other Plays (1955)
Devil and the Good Lord and Two Other Plays (1960)
Imagination (1962)
The Problem of Method (1963)
On Genocide (1968)
Politics & Literature (1973)
The Writings of Jean-Paul Sartre (1985)
Witness to My Life (1992)
Existentialism Is a Humanism (2007)
La Náusea (2012)
NAUSEA, LA (2014)
Annabelle in the Haunted House (2020)
Film and TV adaptations
- No Exit (1962)Film · from No Exit
- Friend of the World (2020)Film · from No Exit
- Dirty Hands (1951)Film · from Dirty Hands
About Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French philosopher, political activist, and writer, considered a leading figure in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism. Sartre was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism and was a proponent of Libertarian Marxism. 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".
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Jean-Paul Sartre FAQ
- How many books has Jean-Paul Sartre written?
- Jean-Paul Sartre published 17 novels, 3 novellas, 1 short story collection, 24 non-fiction books, 1 poetry collection, 14 plays and 19 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Jean-Paul Sartre's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start The Roads to Freedom with The Age of Reason. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Jean-Paul Sartre's last book?
- The Family Idiot (1981).
- What is Jean-Paul Sartre's most famous book?
- Nausea (1938) is Jean-Paul Sartre's most widely read book.
- Are Jean-Paul Sartre's books connected?
- 3 books belong to 1 series (The Roads to Freedom); the other 76 books stand alone.
- Does Jean-Paul Sartre write under a pen name?
- Yes: Jean-Paul Sartre has also published as Jacques Guillemin.
- Which Jean-Paul Sartre books have been adapted?
- 2 books have been adapted for film or TV, including No Exit (film, 1962) and Dirty Hands (film, 1951).
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.