The 1990s have seen a resurgence of interest in the Marquis de Sade, with several biographies competing to put their version of his life story before the public. But Sadean scholar Richard Seaver takes us directly to the source, translating Sade's prison correspondence. Seaver's translations retain the aristocratic hauteur of Sade's prose, which still possesses a clarity that any reader can appreciate. "When will my horrible situation cease?" he wrote to his wife shortly after his incarceration began in 1777. "When in God's name will I be let out of the tomb where I have been buried alive? There is nothing to equal the horror of my fate!" But he was never reduced to pleading for long, and not always so solicitous of his wife's feelings; a few years later, he would write, "This morning I received a fat letter from you that seemed endless. Please, I beg of you, don't go on at such length: do you believe that I have nothing better to do than to read your endless repetitions?" For those interested in learning about the man responsible for some of the most infamous philosophical fiction in history, Letters from Prison is an indispensable collection.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The 1990s have seen a resurgence of interest in the Marquis de Sade, with several biographies competing to put their version of his life story before the public. But Sadean scholar Richard Seaver takes us directly to the source, translating Sade's prison correspondence. Seaver's translations retain the aristocratic hauteur of Sade's prose, which still possesses a clarity that any reader can appreciate. "When will my horrible situation cease?" he wrote to his wife shortly after his incarceration began in 1777. "When in God's name will I be let out of the tomb where I have been buried alive? There is nothing to equal the horror of my fate!" But he was never reduced to pleading for long, and not always so solicitous of his wife's feelings; a few years later, he would write, "This morning I received a fat letter from you that seemed endless. Please, I beg of you, don't go on at such length: do you believe that I have nothing better to do than to read your endless repetitions?" For those interested in learning about the man responsible for some of the most infamous philosophical fiction in history, Letters from Prison is an indispensable collection.
From Publishers Weekly
The great libertine author, recently the subject of many biographical efforts, is finally allowed to speak about his life, in his own words, with the publication of this selection of letters written during the many years that Sade was incarcerated. Behind bars from 1777, when he was first imprisoned in Vincennes, to 1789, the marquis had nothing else to do but write. These letters reveal that while he was melodramatic, manipulative, self-righteous and prone to fits of rage and paranoia, he was also extremely insightful, intelligent, well read, full of ironic humor and capable of expressing great love and tenderness to his wife, Ren?e-P?lagie. Most of the letters in this collection are to his spouse, toward whom his emotions are startlingly extreme. In an early letter he writes, "My dear friend, you are all I have left on earth: father, mother, sister, wife, friend, you are all those to me, I have no one but you: do not abandon me, I beg you, let it not be from you that I receive the final blow of misfortune." But later, he vents his frustration on her, chiding her cruelly for foolish pursuits: "If 'tis true that one must account to the Lord for one's time on earth, what embarrassment awaits you in the next world!" The only drawback to this collection is that the reader gets only Sade's side. Although Seaver's elegant introduction nearly fills the need, the full context, in the form of the many letters Sade received, is missing. Even by themselves, however, these stunning epistles show a man who suffered endlessly in prison, but who never lost his spirit, finding solace in the written word.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The real Marquis de Sade...,
This review is from: Letters From Prison (Hardcover)
I have read many things about the Marquis de Sade and I've also read his erotic stories, but this book shows a whole different side of the man with the dark sense of humor and off-kilter philosophies. Letters from Prison is a memoir of sorts -- a series of letters, entries and overall views on his life and things in general. His letters to his wife are especially insightful. The reader gets to know the Marquis on a more personal level, without his rather interesting erotic fiction standing in the way. What transpires is an interesting book that explores a more human side to the Marquis de Sade, a side that is seldom mentioned in biographies.
I recommend this book to those who have devoted time to reading various biographies based on this unique man's life. This is something far more personal than anything you could ever read about the Marquis. And the fact that he wrote these letters and entries from prison makes them all the more riveting. You cannot help but appreciate the complexity of his mind and wonder if he was an evil genius or just a philosopher with a penchant for controversy.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Curious Correspondence,
By Allison "Librarian" (TN, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Letters From Prison (Hardcover)
The letters that make up this volume, written by the infamous Marqus de Sade, show more about the man himself in terms of his daily thinking than he his erotic fictions ever could. Whereas his fiction is born of his imagination, what he writes here are his own opinions and ideas of his life and his surroundings.He writes frequently to his wife from prison and has what I think of it as, a scathingly dark sense of humor about it all. If your already a devote fan of the Marquis or just a curious reader, (then even before you pick up his own works, I would recommend reading this first to get an idea of the man) then you should find this collection of curious correspondence to your liking.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clever and witty,
By
This review is from: Letters From Prison (Hardcover)
The poor Marquis has such a terrible reputation, having his own sexual disorder named after him and all, but behind all the hoopla lies a sharp, dark wit.
Imprisoned by his mother-in-law for 14 years under a lettre de cachet, 29 years in prison total, these letters to his wife uncover a very different sort of man than you would imagine. In here you will find his obsession for counting, mood swings, his search for himself, and his sexual obsessions. More importantly herein lies his philosophy and development as a writer, and a strength of spirit. "Either kill me or take me as I am, because I'll be damned if I ever change..." -- De Sade
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