Leopold von Sacher-Masoch

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch‏‎ (27 January 1836 – 9 March 1895) was an Austrian novelist and journalist, who gained renown for his romantic stories of Galician life. The term masochism is derived from his name, invented by his contemporary, the Austrian psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing.

Early life

Leopold Ritter von Sacher-Masoch was born in Lemberg, Austrian Galicia, now Lviv, Ukraine. His father was a police director of Galician Jews, and his mother was a Spanish Catholic. He studied law, history and mathematics at Graz University, and after graduating, he moved to Prague, where he started his career as a journalist and author.

Career

Sacher-Masoch is best known for his novel Venus in Furs, a work that reflects his enduring theme of the dominant woman. He did not intend to describe sexual perversion, but he developed a sadomasochistic subtext. The novel inspired the song "Venus in Furs" by The Velvet Underground.

Personal life

Sacher-Masoch was married to Aurora Rumelin, who wrote under the pseudonym Wanda von Sacher-Masoch. In his late fifties, his mental health declined, and he was declared insane and institutionalized.

Legacy

The term masochism, coined in 1886, is derived from his name. It was originally found in Psychopathia Sexualis, a sexology book written by Richard von Krafft-Ebing. The term is used in psychology to describe a sexual preference for pain or humiliation.

See also

• Sadism and masochism
• Sadomasochism
• Venus in Furs (song)