The Inseparables – read an extract from the newly discovered novel by Simone de Beauvoir

Written 75 years ago but deemed too intimate' to publish in her lifetime, this exclusive extract from a lost novel by the author of The Second Sex, translated by Lauren Elkin, is based on the passionate and tragic' friendship she had as a girl with Elisabeth Zaza' Lacoin

When I was nine years old I was a good little girl, though this hadn't always been the case. As a small child the adults' tyranny caused me to throw such tantrums that one of my aunts declared, quite seriously: Sylvie is possessed by a demon." War and religion tamed me. Right away I demonstrated perfect patriotism by stomping all over my doll because she was made in Germany, though I didn't really care for her to begin with. I was taught that God would only protect France if I were obedient and pious: there was no escaping it. The other girls and I would walk through the basilica of Sacre-Cur, waving banners and singing. I began to pray frequently, and I developed a real taste for it. Abbe Dominique, the chaplain at the College Adelaide where we went to school, encouraged my ardour. Dressed all in tulle, with a bonnet made of Irish lace, I made my First Communion, and from that day forward, I set a perfect example for my little sisters. Heaven heard my prayers, and my father was appointed to a desk job at the Ministry of War because of his heart trouble.

Related: Lauren Elkin: I felt like I was in De Beauvoir's body'