Jean-Paul Sarte is also significant because his immense popularity offers further proof that there is something about existentialism that appeals to modern man.
In 1945, after Sartre's philosophy began to filter through Paris' streets, he scheduled a public lecture. Although it was not widely advertised, by the time he arrived the street outside the hall was mobbed with people “frantically trying to get in, and as the hall was already packed, only celebrities were allowed to pass through. His friends had to force an entrance for Sartre himself. Inside, women fainted, chairs were smashed . . . [the resulting] press coverage was astounding. Many newspapers produced thousands of words of Sartre's text, despite the paper shortage [from World War II].” Paul Johnson, Intellectuals (1990), 233 That was just the start of Sartre's public career. He would go on to publish many works and become one of the most influential men of the twentieth century.
