Venus in Furs (German: Venus im Pelz) is the story of the Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, which is now his most famous work. After being published in magazine in 1869, the story was included in the first volume of the series "The Legacy of Cain" (published in 1870).
"I am kind as long as I am treated seriously and prudently, but when I am given too selflessly, an evil arrogance awakens in me."
The main character, named Severin, is obsessed with an erotic fantasy about a woman who will humiliate him. He calls his ideal of a domineering and beautiful lady "Venus in furs." At a Carpathian resort, a man meets the eccentric widow Wanda von Dunaev, who conquers him with her philosophy of antique sensuality and denial of the prejudices of Christian marriage. Deciding that this is the same "Venus in Furs" in front of him, the hero falls in love without memory and invites Wanda to fulfill her secret fantasy together. At first, the girl rejects the offer, but gradually the game of mistress and the slave begins to captivate and excite her more than Severin himself. They conclude a kind of agreement ...
The book was filmed several times: in 1967 and twice in 1969, by Massimo Dallamano and Jesus Franco, in 1985 under the title "Temptation: The Cruel Woman", in 1995 and 2013 by Roman Polanski.
Sometimes, fed up with dynamic and vibrant literature about fantastic worlds and adventures, you want to step back into the shadows, take a breath, and then discover something completely opposite. It was such a rather pleasant discovery that Venus in Furs became for me.
A sensual piece, spicy and at the same time, the bitter taste of which remains on the lips. The relationship of the main characters, who are constantly changing their polarity, sometimes getting closer, then pushing away from each other, the feeling that the reader has put on the skin of a devoted and incredible lover Severin makes thoughts hotly spinning in his head. Ardent kisses of lovers, voluptuous torment of a slave in front of his mistress - all this is described so sincerely and so cleanly that you yourself involuntarily respond to what is happening. Even the denouement pleasantly struck me with its simplicity and at the same time the "purity" of Wanda's thoughts in front of her beloved servant. Most likely, I will re-read this book more than once.
I think Leopold von Sacher-Masoch revealed to the readers of that time long-hidden and strangled secrets that people themselves did not want to admit, and if they did, they altered, changed and called them by other names. He showed the naked skeleton of love, her stern white face and what an eerie smile she can reward someone who has fallen into her clutches.
You can purchase «Venus in Furs» at Amazon.
This article was sponsored by Claudiu Cimpeanu.
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