Michel Delon's Two-Volume Coffret on the Marquis de Sade

Éditions Textuel has released a luxurious two-volume coffret by Michel Delon, the editor of Sade's works in the Pléiade collection. The first volume, divided into two parts, covers Sade's biography and his posthumous legacy. 'Sade en son temps' details the writer's life: his libertine father and scholarly uncle, early scandals, imprisonments, escapes, and his love for La Coste. It explores his fiery temperament, his determination to express everything, and his exploration of evil. Arbitrarily imprisoned in the Bastille, Sade read voraciously and wrote an unparalleled body of work. 'Sade après Sade' examines the aftermath: the burning of 'Les Journées de Florbelle' after his death on his son's orders, and the famous scroll of 'The 120 Days of Sodom'—written in microscopic script—which Sade believed lost after the sacking of his cell on July 14, 1789, but was later recovered from private collections. Delon also addresses the second novel of Sade's textual editions and reception, marked by misunderstandings, fantasies, and scholarly work. The second volume, 'Sade au travail,' uses manuscripts to show Sade's writing process, his corrections, and the dynamics of his poetics. The coffret is richly illustrated with engravings and facsimiles.