Sjömansbiblioteket

Discover a new version of Marquis de Sade's most famous and outrageous masterpieces: 'Philosophy in the Bedroom' (La philosophie dans le boudoir), 'Justine, or The Misfortunes of Virtue' and 'The 120 Days of Sodom'. Philosophy in the Bedroom (La philosophie dans le boudoir) was written in 1795 by the Marquis de Sade, while imprisoned in the Bastille. It is a work of extreme pornography, laced with socio-political suversion. The main characters are libertines, who decided to give a young maiden their own brand of sex education. They explain to her that pleasure is the most important goal of all, and then proceed with affirming that she will not be able to feel 'true pleasure' without pain. Then they get down to the practical lessons. Justine, or The Misfortunes of Virtue, is an early work by the Marquis de Sade. It is a novella, written in two weeks while he was imprisoned in the Bastille. Unlike some of his other works, it is not just a catalogue of sadism. It is meant to bring new life to an old genre, which had the reader accustomed to see virtue eventually triumph after trials only meant to bring out its value. Sade would have none of that in Justine: in her quest for virtue, the main character keeps falling into terrible situations, which humiliate her and present her with sexual lessons hidden under the mask of virtue. She seeks refuge and confession in a monastery... All of this is narrated by Justine herself, on her way to the gallocks. Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the arrest of the anonymous author of Justine and Juliette, and as a result Sade was incarcerated for the last 13 years of his life. The book's destruction was ordered by the Cour Royale de Paris on May 19, 1815. The 120 Days of Sodom is 'the most impure tale that has ever been told since our world began'. It was written by the Marquis de Sade, in the space of 37 days, while imprisoned in the Bastille. Fearing confiscation, he had to write it on a continuous roll of paper, made up of small pieces glued together.