When Simone de Beauvoir wrote The Inseparables in 1954—a fictionalized story based on her friendship with Elisabeth “Zaza” Lacoin—she didn’t dare publish it. It was too intimate to be shared during her lifetime. Nearly half a century later, in 2020, Penguin released it to widespread acclaim, prompting renewed interest in Beauvoir’s feminist views. In 1956, two years after she wrote her tale of friendship, one of the most prominent writers of the Shōwa era in Japan, Fumiko Enchi, published The Waiting Years. The novel was an unflinching, ground-breaking portrayal of women’s sexuality. For the second edition of Miu Miu’s literary club—a two-day event—these two important books set the stage for conversations about family, motherhood, and work. Panelists include writers such as Lauren Elkin, Geetanjali Shree, Veronica Raimo, Nicola Dinan, Naoise Dolan, and Sarah Manguso. —Elena Clavarino