Synopses & Reviews
A collection of de Sade's stories utilizing gothic conventions and questioning sexual and societal mores The notorious author of pornographic novels and a sexual pervert who spent much of his life in prison and whose name was unmentionable in civilized circles, only in recent times has the Marquis come to be seen as misunderstoodessentially a moralist, his exploration of the so-called dark side of the human psyche remains as relevant to our society as it was to his own. This collection will provide an excellent introduction to Sades fiction; these accessible stories range from the dramatic novella Eugenie de Franval, in which a fathers criminal passion for his daughter leads to intrigue, abduction, and murder, to comic tales such as The Husband Who Plays Priest, concerning a lecherous monk who finds an ingenious way to combine clerical duties with secular pleasures. De Sades gift as a humorist are much in evidence, as is his particular delight in unusual marital situationswhich invariably lead to the most diverting conclusions.
Review
"This book is indispensable reading to de Sade enthusiasts, and is also the best possible introduction for those who are not yet familiar with his work." —Literary Review
Review
"A bawdy burlesque." —Guardian
About the Author
'Marquis de Sade (17401814) was a French aristocrat, revolutionary, and writer of violent pornography. Incarcerated for 32 years of his life in both prisons and asylums, he is famed for his graphic depiction of cruelty within classic titles such as Juliette, Justine, and Philosophy in the Boudoir. A leading translator of French and Italian, Margaret Crosland translated and edited The Marquis de Sade Reader and authored several prize-winning biographies, including A Cry from the Heart: The Biography of Edith Piaf.'