Venus In Furs

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895/1905) was an Austrian writer and editor who is best known for his erotic story Venus in Furs. Educated in law, history, and mathematics, Sacher-Masoch wrote primarily Galician folklore and later served as editor of Auf der Höhe. Internationale Review (At the Pinnacle. International Review) where he focused on exposing anti-semitism and championing the emancipation of women. The prominence of fantasy and fetish in Sacher-Masoch’s work, particularly in Venus in Furs, led to the coining of the term “masochism” by psychiatrist Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing in 1886. Sacher-Masoch spent the last years of his life under psychiatric care and is believed to have died between 1895 and 1905.