Marquis de Sade

French writer, philosopher, and politician (1740-1814)

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About

Donatien-Alphonse-François, Marquis de Sade, was a French aristocrat known for his erotic and philosophical writings. Imprisoned for about 32 years, he produced a major body of work combining libertinism with radical critique of religion, morality, and the state. His name gave rise to the term 'sadism'.

* 1740-06-02 — † 1814-12-02

Major works

Les 120 Journées de Sodome (1785)novel
Justine ou les Malheurs de la vertu (1791)novel
La Philosophie dans le boudoir (1795)philosophical dialogue
Aline et Valcour (1795)novel
Histoire de Juliette (1801)novel

Key milestones

1785Writes The 120 Days of Sodom at the Bastille.
1792Publishes the political pamphlet Idea on the Mode of the Sanction of Laws.
1814Dies at the Charenton asylum.

Themes

LibertinismCritique of religionMaterialismIndividual freedomViolence and cruelty

Sources: id.loc.gov · catdir.loc.gov

“The idea of God is the sole wrong for which I cannot forgive mankind.”

— Marquis de Sade

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“Happiness lies neither in vice nor in virtue; it lies in the manner in which we appreciate the one and the other, and the choice we make of our sensations.”

— Marquis de Sade

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“The pleasure of the senses is always the same; it is only the imagination which varies it.”

— Marquis de Sade

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