The Thousands

With Valentine’s Day nearly upon us, the mind tends towards all things love-related: kisses, lingering glances, and that old romantic favourite, sadomasochistic pornography. So why not say "I love you" this year with the confronting erotic classic, STORY OF O? Originally written by the French literary critic Anne Desclos as a dare, a challenge and an enterprise de séduction for her lover, Jean Paulhan, it was later published under an alias. Most were convinced that such smut could only have been written by a man.**Like a visit to the sexual circles of hell, O’s odyssey is a gripping exploration of the darkest extremes of sexuality and dominance. Approach this text with caution (and perhaps a stiff drink) as its almost hallucinatory intensity is enough to make the Marquis de Sade himself blush.