Leopold von Sacher-Masoch

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch was born in 1835 in Lemberg, Galicia. He was of Slav, Spanish and Bohemian descent. His ancestors held official positions in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father was Chief of Police of Lemburg, and as a child he witnessed prison scenes and riots which were to have a profound effect on him.Sacher-Masoch's works have held an established position in European letters for something over half a century, and the author himself was made a chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French Government in 1883, on the occasion of his literary jubilee. His novel VENUS IN FURS was part of an epic series Sacher-Masoch envisioned called "Legacy of Cain." It is an undisputed classic of erotic fiction.