The 120 Days of Sodom

byThe Marquis de Sade, Will McMorran (Translator), Thomas Wynn (Translator)

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WINNER OF THE 2017 SCOTT MONCRIEFF PRIZE

A new translation of Sade's most notorious, shocking and influential novel.

This disturbing but hugely important text has influenced countless individuals throughout history: Flaubert and Baudelaire both read Sade; the surrealists were obsessed with him; film-makers like Pasolini saw parallels with twentieth-century history in his writings; and feminists such as Andrea Dworkin and Angela Carter clashed over him. This new translation brings Sade's provocative novel into Penguin Classics for the first time, and will reignite the debate around this most controversial of writers.

Without in any way giving in to hyperbole, I would say that this translation is a 21st century monument, changing not only the way in which we view the French 18th century, but providing a guide to the present and future

Andrew Hussey, Scott Moncrieff Prize judge

About The Marquis de Sade

The Marquis de Sade, born Donatien Alphonse François in 1740, is one of the most famous and notorious figures in French history. The man whose name coined sadism is best known for his violent and blasphemous sexual exploits, which he recorded in his books and plays. After a series of arrests and exiles for acts of sodomy and sexual abuse of a number of prostitutes, the Marquis de Sade was eventually successfully imprisoned in the Bastille in 1784. On 4 July 1789, he was transferred to an insane asylum at Charenton near Paris. Ten days later, the storming of the Bastille, a major event of the French Revolution, occurred at the famous prison. During Robespierre's Reign of Terror in post-war France, Sade obtained his freedom and soon established himself as an important political figure. However, his public criticism of Robespierre ensured he was imprisoned once more. In 1803, Sade was declared insane for the second time and was reinstated at Charenton. He died there in 1814, having conducted a sexual affair with a thirteen-year-old girl.
Details
  • Imprint: Penguin Classics
  • ISBN: 9780141394343
  • Length: 464 pages
  • Dimensions: 198mm x 21mm x 130mm
  • Weight: 326g
  • Price: £12.99
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