Customer Reviews

Letters From Prison

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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