National Network for Equitable Library Service

A shocking exploration of masochism, narcissism, and sexual power, Venus in Furs brought instant notoriety to its author for its unprecedented portrayal of a man who passionately makes himself the slave of the woman he loves. Sacher-Masoch freely mixes philosophy and pornography in the story of Severin von Kusiemski, a European nobleman who finds his ideal of voluptuous cruelty under the tutelage of the merciless beauty Wanda von Dunajew. More than a lurid tale of sexual obsession and perversion, Venus in Furs is a daring successor to the writings of the Marquis de Sade. Pioneering in its revelations about the pain of love and the love of pain, Sacher-Masoch's masterpiece remains a classic literary statement on sexual submission and control.