First published 1904
This new translation presents Sade's most shocking and influential work in its first Penguin Classics edition. The novel stands as one of literature's most disturbing yet historically significant texts. Writers like Flaubert and Baudelaire studied Sade's provocative prose. The surrealist movement became fascinated with his radical vision. Filmmakers including Pasolini discovered connections between Sade's brutal scenarios and modern history's darkest chapters. Feminist scholars like Andrea Dworkin and Angela Carter engaged in heated debates over the book's meaning and impact. The text continues to divide readers and critics who grapple with its extreme content and undeniable influence on literature, art, and philosophy. This fresh translation makes Sade's controversial masterwork accessible to contemporary readers while preserving the raw power that has sparked fierce intellectual battles for centuries.
Genres: abuse, 20th-century, adult-fiction, 21st-century, 19th-century, academia
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: controversial-subject-matter, literary-classic, provocative
Period: 19th-Century, 20th-Century
464 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics
Content warnings: explicit-sexual-content, graphic-violence, sexual-content