Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) , was a French
aristocrat,
revolutionary politician,
philosopher, and writer, famous for his
libertine sexuality. His works include novels, short stories, plays, dialogues, and political tracts; in his lifetime some were published under his own name, while others appeared anonymously and Sade denied being their author. De Sade is best known for his
erotic works, which combined philosophical discourse with pornography, depicting
sexual fantasies with an emphasis on
violence, criminality, and
blasphemy against the
Catholic Church. He was a proponent of extreme
freedom, unrestrained by
morality, religion, or law. The words
sadism and are derived from his name.