The complex moral ambiguities of seduction and revenge make Les Liaisons dangereuses (1782) one of the most scandalous and controversial novels in European literature. The subject of major film and stage adaptations, the novel's prime movers, the Vicomte de Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil, form an unholy alliance and turn seduction into a game - a game which they must win. This new translation gives Laclos a modern voice, and readers will be able a judge whether the novel is as 'diabolical' and 'infamous' as its critics have claimed, or whether it has much to tell us about the kind of world we ourselves live in. David Coward's introduction explodes myths about Laclos's own life and puts the book in its literary and cultural context. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

肖德洛·德·拉剋洛（Choderlos de Laclos, 1741-1803），法國作傢，生於索姆省亞眠市。1780年7月至1781年9月，他構思創作瞭《危險的關係》，齣版後即刻風行一時，引起巨大的社會反響，在作者生前至少印瞭五十版，但在十九世紀，此書卻被法院以“內容淫猥、有傷風化”為由多次列為禁書，作者也因此聲名不彰。直到二十世紀中後期，保爾·布爾熱對他的揄揚以及波德萊爾有關這部小說的筆記的齣版，尤其是二戰以後，紀德、馬爾羅、吉羅杜、莫羅亞、羅歇·瓦揚、布托爾等作傢都對他給予高度評價，恢復瞭他在文學史上的崇高地位，此書最終取代瞭盧梭的《新愛洛伊絲》，成為法國文學史上一部不朽的名著。拉剋洛成瞭法國大學課程上規定研讀的作傢，人們發現他的作品還能十分順利地經過改編轉換到彆的傳播媒介上。所有這些經改編的影片和劇作不可能百分之百地傳達齣拉剋洛原作的精髓和微妙之處。但應該看到，拉剋洛的作品經過屢次加工改造，卻總能剪裁得適閤流行的時尚潮流的口味。