My guest this week is journalist and author Joel Warner, whose latest book The Curse of the Marquis de Sade recounts the true story of how the Marquis de Sade’s book 120 Days of Sodom landed at the heart of one of the biggest scams in modern literary history in a French Ponzi scheme. Joel’s book is incredibly well-researched and weaves together tales from the Marquis’s life, the adventures of the scroll 120 Days of Sodom was written on, and the world of letter and manuscript collecting. Was the Marquis de Sade a revolutionary, a radical philosopher, a proto-feminist, or an unrepentant criminal? Was 120 Days of Sodom “one of the most important novels ever written” or “the gospel of evil?” In our conversation, Joel answers these questions, and so many more. Then, he treats us to a reading from his book. joelwarner.com Join our Book Club: patreon.com/parisundergroundradio Find Us Online Website: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/storytimeinparis Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/ Credits Host and Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com Music Credits Hip Hop Rap Instrumental (Crying Over You) by christophermorrow https://soundcloud.com/chris-morrow-3​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2AHA5G9​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/hiYs5z4xdBU​ About Us Since well before Victor Hugo looked up at Notre Dame and thought, "Huh... what if a hunchback lived in there?" authors have been inspired by Paris. The Storytime in Paris podcast will help keep this tradition alive with short interviews and readings from your favorite contemporary authors with a French connection. Every episode will feature five questions, asked by you, our authors' biggest fans, and answered live on air. Then, our authors will treat us to a reading of an excerpt from their book. Who knows? Maybe you'll even be inspired to write your own Great French Novel. Happy listening!