Gothic Tales

'A bawdy burlesque' Guardian

A collection of witty, transgressive tales from the great Enlightenment thinker, best known for his inimitable blend of philosophy and scandalous sexuality.

The Marquis de Sade's fiction has electrified generations of readers and earned him a scandalous reputation. But Sade was a moralist above all. In these baroque, salacious tales, aristocrats are caught in a web of incestuous misunderstandings, village priests deceive godly parishioners, and modest housewives satisfy immodest appetites. Comic and tragic by turns, all pose a profound challenge to convention.

These maliciously entertaining stories reveal France's infamous libertine as an author whose range and insight can still astonish, centuries after he first shocked polite society.

Part of the Pushkin Press Classics series: timeless storytelling by icons of literature, hand-picked from around the globe.

Translated by Margaret Crosland.

Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (1740-1814) was a French writer and libertine, known for his transgressive yet philosophical works in an astonishing range of genres. Born to great privilege in pre-revolutionary France, he spent much of his life imprisoned for both his scandalous behaviour and his shocking literary output. The acts of depravity he described in works which challenged social convention, such as Justine, Juliette, and The 120 Days of Sodom, gave birth to the word 'sadism', earning him a place among the select group of authors to inspire an adjective.

Margaret Crosland (1920-2017) translated works by the Marquis de Sade, Émile Zola, Colette and Cesare Pavese, among others, as well as writing many biographies and works of literary criticism.