Forget Glenn Close and John Malkovich. The best way to appreciate the dastardly scheming of the divinely devious Marquise de Merteuil and her ex-lover Valmont is to read their letters – and those of their victims. Dangerous Liaisons, written just a few years before the Revolution, exposes the decadence of the French aristocracy with a wit and verve that is altogether too entertaining to be moral. A dazzling achievement.
Recommended by Fiona Graham
DANGEROUS LIAISONS
Written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Translated from the French by Helen Constantine
Published by Penguin Classics (2007)
Fiona Graham, Reviews Editor at the Swedish Book Review, holds degrees in Modern and Mediaeval Languages (German and French), and Linguistics. She is a literary translator and reviewer.
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