FLAKE (Otto). The Marquis de Sade. - Lot 156

FLAKE (Otto). The Marquis de Sade. Translated from German by Pierre Klossowski. Paris, Grasset, 1933. In-12, paperback, with the publisher’s illustrated cover. The first French translation of this important fictionalized biography of the Marquis de Sade by the German writer Otto Flake. The book traces the tumultuous life of the famous libertine, from his youth to his long periods of imprisonment, focusing on the writer’s complex personality, his thought, and his work. The translation is by Pierre Klossowski, whose interest in Sade would have a lasting impact on his own literary and philosophical thought. A testament to the rediscovery of Sade during the interwar period, this volume ranks among the earliest scholarly works aimed at a general audience devoted to the man who would become one of the major figures of literary modernity. Condition Paperback copy. Illustrated cover preserved but partially detached from the book block, with damage to the spine and signs of wear. Interior fresh and complete.