Reading Time: 2minutes 'The Story of O', written by Pauline Reage (a pen-name), is a milestone of modern SM literature and a true BDSM icon. Graham Greene described it as 'A rare thing, a pornographic book well written and without a trace of obscenity'. The novel (originally published in French as Histoire d'O) tells the story of a young Parisian fashion photographer referred to only as O and her introduction to the world of sado-masochism at the hands of her lover Rene, the enigmatic 'Sir Stephen'.
‘The Story of O’, written by Pauline Reage (a pen-name), is a milestone of modern SM literature and a true BDSM icon. Graham Greene described it as ‘A rare thing, a pornographic book well written and without a trace of obscenity’. The novel (originally published in French as Histoire d’O) tells the story of a young Parisian fashion photographer referred to only as O and her introduction to the world of sado-masochism at the hands of her lover Rene, the enigmatic ‘Sir Stephen’, and other members of a clandestine society dedicated to the pleasures of sadomasochism. The story starts with O being taken by Rene to a chateau called ‘Roissy’ on the edge of Paris where she is systematically subjugated and moulded into a willing slave through sexual assaults, regular whippings, and long hours in solitude. The publication of ‘The story of O’ in the sexually uptight 1950’s naturally caused intense controversy. The daring exploration of dark themes of sexuality quickly became the talk of the French salons and cafes and there was fevered speculation as to the true identity of its author.
In the following year the novel established its literary credentials by winning the Prix des Deux Magots, a literary prize generally awarded to new and unconventional books. Despite continuing public outrage and a police investigation involving the interrogation of the publisher, Jean-Jacques Pauvert, the book continued to be published and the identity of Pauline Reage remained a well kept secret. Pauline, revealed before her death in 1998 as journalist and translator Dominique Aury, claimed the book was intended as a ‘love letter’ to her lover Jean Paulhan, a way of keeping his interest alive after an affair lasting almost two decades. Paulhan, one of France’s most respected literary figures, loved it and suggested immediate publication. Histoire d’O by Pauline Reage, with a foreword by Jean Paulhan, was first published in a limited edition of 600 copies by Jean-Jacques Pauvert and appeared in June 1954. Some copies, nobody seems to know how many, carried a small lithograph by Austrian artist Hans Bellmer on the title page and these are quite valuable today.
In the 50 years since it hit the literary world like a bombshell, the Story of O has sold millions of copies and has never been out of print. Some regard its descriptions of sado-masochism as subtle, enigmatic and incredibly erotic while others find the writing clumsy, the characters wooden, and the plot weak. Whatever its value as a work of literary art, the novel has aquired an iconic status amongst those with an interest in BDSM and remains almost required reading. The impact of this book is still felt today. Stray into the darker recesses of the internet and you’ll be amazed at how many eager ‘Sir Stephens’ and ‘Rene’s’ you bump into and how many websites you’ll find using the ‘Roissy’ name. A BDSM Icon.
Coleen is a writer, photographer and film maker at Wasteland and Sssh.com.
Here at BDSMCafe.com, she is editor and curator of this comprehensive library of BDSM fiction, informational articles and other educational features that date back to the early days of the internet in 1996 when the site was first launched.
