The Complete Marquis de Sade, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

~ Marquis de Sade (Author), John Yankowski (Translator) "It is with great pleasure that I introduce the compelling, brilliant and briskly readable rendition by Dr. Paul J. Gillette of the novels of the..." (more)
Key Phrases: Father Severino, Father Ducrez, Father Clement (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Crisp, bold and diabolically direct… This is the translation against which all future attempts must be compared." -- Paris Jour

"Dr. Gillette provides us with a rare edition that should engage as both literature and pure entertainment – highly recommended." -- Players Magazine

Product Description

Adorned with gripping cover art by Man Ray and translated by renowned scholar Dr. Paul J. Gillette, this dramatic collection of de Sade writings includes "Justine," "Juliette," "120 Days of Sodom," "Philosophy In The Bedroom" and many works often scattered among "pastiche" versions of de Sade’s oeuvre.

Free of the author’s repetitions, polemics and syntactically complex 18th century phrases, this edition captures the drama of de Sade’s forays into human sexuality – including such practices as voyeurism, fetishism, and, most famously, sadism. Vilified by critics in the 1800s as "Monstrous… depraved… An odious book by an even more odious man," de Sade’s depiction of his personal adventures has been studied and enjoyed by readers in light of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Readers will also discover a mind as free as de Sade’s adventures were uninhibited, for he discusses natural evolution 25 years before Darwin’s birth; postulates the existence of the unconscious mind a century before Sigmund Freud; and probes social mores decades before the work of Margaret Mead. He also espouses political ideas that were put into practice by such diverse figures as Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler and Fidel Castro.

Born into French nobility in 1740, Marquis de Sade continues to open minds to new human experience more than 250 years later – in this dramatic new release from Holloway House Publishing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Holloway House (May 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870679406
• ISBN-13: 978-0870679407
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #488,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A most faithless translation!, September 5, 2008

By	Olzab (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews

It seems to me that John Yankowski must hate reading the real Sade, and wants to make sure everyone thinks it's the most boring work imaginable.

I've read the Grove Press translations of Sade's works, and his "Complete Marquis de Sade by John Yankowski" bears no similarities whatsoever to a quality translation. Under the guise of making the books easier to read, Mr. Yankowski simply removed all detail, depth of argument and, amazingly, most of the actual occurrences from the works. They are most heavily edited, and to awful effect. Whole chapters and events are skipped without a blink, and the rest are badly paraphrased. And he most certainly and thoroughly erases all sense of any "lubricity".

So, if you like your evil fiction to have a breath of life to it, stay away from this version. I'm asking Amazon for my money back on this book and lodging a complaint about its name. The last thing it is is complete!

Now, if only we could get Grove Press to publish e-book versions....If you're interested, go to the pages for their editions of Sade's works and click on the "I'd like to read this book on Kindle" link.

15 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A disgrace to sin, February 5, 2007

By	Mary Nears - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is beyond boring...It's not even "reading while on the toilet" material. It's like a course you'd be forced to take as an elective in college. It reads like some student's half-hearted biography about no one in particular.