Les Liaisons Dangereuses

The complex moral ambiguities of seduction and revenge make Les Liaisons dangereuses (1782) one of the most scandalous and controversial novels in European literature. The subject of major film and stage adaptations, the novels prime movers, the Vicomte de Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil, form an unholy alliance and turn seduction into a game - a game which they must win.

This new translation gives Laclos a modern voice, and readers will be able a judge whether the novel is as 'diabolical and 'infamous as its critics have claimed, or whether it has much to tell us about the kind of world we ourselves live in. David Cowards introduction explodes myths about Lacloss own life and puts the book in its literary and cultural context.