Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos (1741–1803) was a French artillery officer whose military career was largely uneventful—a fact that makes his single novel all the more astonishing. Born in Amiens to a family of minor nobility, he spent decades in provincial garrisons with ample time for reading and writing. He composed Dangerous Liaisons while stationed on the island of Aix, publishing it in 1782 to immediate scandal and enormous success. The novel's frank depiction of aristocratic depravity shocked polite society while selling out its first print run in days. This author hub collects 1 work in the Canon Compass ranking, led by Dangerous Liaisons.