
An intricate web of letters opens the story, drawing listeners into the glittering salons of pre‑revolutionary France. Two aristocratic figures dominate the correspondence: a seasoned, cynical libertine who delights in turning affection into a game, and a young, beautiful widow whose sharp mind matches her allure. Their witty exchanges reveal a world where reputation, wealth, and power are traded as easily as gossip, and every missive carries the double‑edged promise of pleasure and betrayal.
The narrative’s epistolary form gives the tale an intimate, confessional tone, allowing the listener to hear the characters’ private thoughts and manipulations almost as if they were whispered in the same room. Beneath the elegant prose lies a keen observation of human vanity and the moral ambiguities of a society obsessed with appearances. As the intrigue unfolds, the letters become a mirror reflecting both the seductive charm and the dangerous consequences of playing with desire.
Full title
Les liaisons dangereuses, volume 1 (of 2) or, Letters collected in a private society and published for the instruction of others
Language
en
Duration
~7 hours (423K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United Kingdom: Privately printed, 1898.
Credits
Adam Buchbinder, Eleni Christofaki and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2023-01-28
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1741–1803
Best known for Les Liaisons dangereuses, he brought a cool, sharp intelligence to one of literature’s most unsettling novels. His mix of military discipline and psychological insight helped create a story that still feels startlingly modern.
View all books
by Choderlos de Laclos

by Choderlos de Laclos

by Choderlos de Laclos

by Charles Brockden Brown

by Samuel Richardson

by Bram Stoker

by Madame de (Anne-Louise-Germaine) Staël
![Love and Freindship [sic]](https://listenly.io/api/img/6637f88c829d50c265d7091e/cover.jpg)
by Jane Austen