On the occasion of the bicentenary of Sade’s death, the volume Sade, l’inconnu? brings together a group of international specialists and young researchers to investigate the unknown in Sade. Focussing on aspects of his work hitherto ignored or under-estimated, this volume presents a writer whose multiple facets defy reduction to one single image. Topics treated include implied readership, the fantastic, and homosexuality. In addition to publishing libertine works anonymously, Sade sought to establish his reputation as a writer with texts whose authorship he openly acknowledged. The volume highlights these non-libertine works, which have attracted comparatively little critical interest and are in clear need of reassessment. Issues of intertextuality are also addressed in this volume. Sade was a masterly re-cycler of the discourses of his day, integrating into his works texts stretching from natural history to Rousseauism, freely adapting them to his purposes. Sade, l’inconnu? offers a panorama of contemporary Sade criticism and testifies to the enduring vitality and fascination of his work.