Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos (October 18, 1741, Amiens, France - September 5, 1803, Taranto, Italy) was a French novelist, official and army general. A unique case in French literature, he was for a long time considered to be as scandalous a writer as the Marquis de Sade or Nicolas-Edme Rétif. He was a military officer with no illusions about human relations, and an amateur writer; however, his initial plan was to "write a work which departed from the ordinary, which made a noise, and which would remain on earth after his death"; from this point of view he mostly attained his goals, since the fame of his masterwork Les Liaisons dangereuses is such that it can be considered one of the most well-known books in the world. It is one of the masterpieces of novelistic literature of the eighteenth century, which explores the amorous intrigues of the aristocracy. It has inspired a large number of critical and analytic commentaries, plays, and films.

Les Liaisons dangereuses

As a writer, Laclos is best remembered for his epistolary novel, Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons), a classic celebrated for its exploration of seduction, revenge, and human malice, presented in the form of fictional letters collected and published by a fictional author. The book was viewed as scandalous at the time of its publications and the real intentions of the author remain unknown. It has been suggested that Laclos's intention was the same as that of his fictional author in the novel and to write a morality tale about the corrupt, squalid nobility of the Ancien Régime. However, this theory has been questioned on several grounds. In the first place, Laclos enjoyed the patronage of France's most senior aristocrat - the duc d'Orléans. Secondly, all the characters in the story are aristocrats, including the virtuous heroines - Madame de Tourvel and Madame du Rosemonde. Finally, many ultra-royalist and conservative figures enjoyed the book, including Queen Marie-Antoinette, which suggests that - despite its scandalous reputation - it was not viewed as a political work until the events of the French Revolution years later made it appear as such, with the benefit of hindsight.

Adaptations of Les Liaisons dangereuses

• 1959: Les Liaisons dangereuses, directed by Roger Vadim
• 1988: Dangerous Liaisons, directed by Stephen Frears
• 1989: Valmont, directed by Miloš Forman with screenplay by Jean-Claude Carrière
• 1999: Cruel Intentions, written and directed by Roger Kumble
• 2003: Untold Scandal, a South Korean film

Death

Choderlos de Laclos died in the former convent of St. Francis of Assisi in Taranto, but following the demise of Napoleon Bonaparte the locals destroyed his burial tomb and it is believed that his bones were tossed into the sea.

References

Bibliography

• Ernestine (1776)
• Les Liaisons dangereuses (1782)