Die 120 Tage von Sodom

Donatien Alphonse François Marquis de Sade was born in 1740 and spent 27 years of his life in prison: initially at the behest of his in-laws, later due to his writings at the instigation of the revolutionary government. With unflinching candor, he depicts the often hidden human tendencies toward perversion. Apollinaire said of him: "It may well be that this man, who was of no account throughout the 19th century, will dominate the 20th century."

The dark side of the Enlightenment. Scandalous, some claim. Painfully necessary, say others. The "120 Days" of the "Divine Marquis" polarizes like few other works of world literature. Four honorable men hold 42 women and boys captive in a castle and deliberate on what to do with them. Believing themselves to be unobserved, they succumb to their desires and lusts. Regardless of the discussions the book still provokes today, the novel has long since become a literary classic that no one can overlook who is interested in an unreserved self-examination of humanity.