New translations revive Gabrielle Wittkop's marginal and erotic literature

Gabrielle Wittkop, who called herself the 'granddaughter of Sade,' is being rediscovered through fresh translations by Cabaret Voltaire. Her father, rejecting conventional schooling, left her alone in the family library at age six, where she had taught herself to read by four. By twenty, she had consumed every book on the shelves, shaped by her father's collection of authors like E.T.A. Hoffmann, the Marquis de Sade, Lautréamont, and Edgar Allan Poe, alongside French classics. In the 1930s, Wittkop was particularly drawn to the 18th century's offerings. Writer Elisa Coll notes that 'disobedience is something intrinsically queer,' highlighting the relevance of Wittkop's work in a time of fragile freedoms. The editorial efforts aim to make her marginal and erotic literature accessible again, emphasizing her unconventional upbringing and literary influences.