I was born in Lemberg on January 27, 1836. I studied history, law and mathematics in Graz and became professor of history for a while. I left this position to dedicate my life to my novels and soon became a well-known writer. My works espouse humanist ideals and a socialist utopia and I always fought against anti-Semitism in Germany in different ways.
I started a series of six novels in 1870, but have only completed the first two so far. The most famous is Venus im Pelz (Venus in Furs), which expressed my deepest fantasies and fetishes and gained me a certain notoriety. This is especially true since Richard von Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia sexualis rather inappropriately coined the term "Masochismus" with my writings in mind.
Anyway, I am largely living out the same fantasies in my private life. In 1869, I signed a contract with Fanny Pistor Bogdanoff in which I became her slave for six months. I later suggested similar arrangements to my wife Aurora, but she did not get as excited about it. I eventually got a divorce and married my assistant.
Venus in Furs has been adapted for film several times and it inspired numerous other artists, such as Velvet Underground with their song of the same name.
