The Curse of the Marquis de Sade by Joel Warner

May 17, 2023

The Curse of the Marquis de Sade by Joel Warner

The Marquis de Sade was imprisoned in the notorious Bastille prison in Paris. He was a prolific writer, penning plays, essays, novels, short stories and political tracts, although he is best known for his erotic works. While in the Bastille, he wrote his magnum opus, "120 Days of Sodom." The manuscript was written on paper that was four inches wide; when he got to the bottom of the page, he glued another page to the bottom and kept writing. When the page was 40 feet long, he turned it over and wrote on the other side. When the Marquis was moved to another prison, the manuscript was left behind and later found after the Bastille was liberated. The manuscript became a collector's item, passing from one collector to another.

Part biography, part history of the notorious manuscript and other erotic literature, part investigation of the mania that grips collectors. The chapters about the Marquis's life and the history of erotic literature are far more interesting than the parts about rare documents as an investment. Should have been more interesting than it was.

The Marquis de Sade