An Essay by SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR

Simone de Beauvoir's essay was originally published in French as Faut-il brûler Sade? in Les Temps Modernes, December, 1951 and January, 1952.

The Pensée was published in Le Marquis de Sade by Maurice Heine ( Paris: Gallimard, 1950). The Letter to Madame de Sade was published in L'Aigle, Mademoiselle... , edited by Gilbert Lely ( Paris: Les Editions Georges Artigues, 1949).

 

Il faut toujours en revenir à de Sade, c'est-à-dire à l'homme naturel, pour expliquer le mal.

CHARLES BAUDELAIRE

Journaux Intimes