Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue

This edition marks the first new English translation in over forty years of the Marquis de Sade’s Justine, as well as the first critical edition of the novel based on its original 1791 version — widely regarded as the most coherent, accessible, and artistically accomplished of the three. The novel follows the fate of Justine, a beautiful and devout young woman whose unwavering faith and innocent trust leave her relentlessly vulnerable to exploitation and suffering.

As misfortune after misfortune befalls her, Justine is subjected to an unending series of brutal and perverse trials that expose Sade’s radical vision of a world governed not by morality, but by Nature. In this universe, virtue offers no protection against vice, and cruelty, crime, and violence consistently prevail. The novel’s relentless cruelty is not merely sensational but philosophical, mounting a fierce challenge to absolute notions of good and evil.

John Phillips’s vivid new translation captures the force and provocation of Sade’s original prose, while his introduction places the novel within its historical, literary, and philosophical contexts. He explores Sade’s views on women, religion, justice, finance, and power, as well as the sadistic and masochistic elements of the text and its controversial reception. Extensive annotations further illuminate the novel’s religious, philosophical, and political references, offering essential guidance to this provocative work.