Venus in Furs

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch

Jul 2013 · Joe Books Ltd

About this ebook

What woman doesn't secretly wish for a submissive man to hand her the whip? Severin is a young nobleman who can only love the most ruthless of women—one who will make him bleed and hurt—and so offers himself to the wealthy and beautiful Wanda to pursue his darkest dreams. Although he at first revels in the submission, he soon realizes that Wanda may be too good at dominating him . . . But he is now powerless to escape. Published in 1870, the classic erotic story Venus in Furs defined for the first time what we now call sadomasochism.

About the author

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895/1905) was an Austrian writer and editor who is best known for his erotic story Venus in Furs. Educated in law, history, and mathematics, Sacher-Masoch wrote primarily Galician folklore and later served as editor of Auf der H?he. Internationale Review ( At the Pinnacle. International Review ) where he focused on exposing anti-semitism and championing the emancipation of women. The prominence of fantasy and fetish in Sacher-Masoch's work, particularly in Venus in Furs, led to the coining of the term "masochism" by psychiatrist Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing in 1886. Sacher-Masoch spent the last years of his life under psychiatric care and is believed to have died between 1895 and 1905.