FIRST DANISH EDITION OF DANGEROUS LIASONS

CHODERLOS DE LACLOS, PIERRE. [HANS FREDERIK HELLESEN (OVERS.)]

De farlige Bekjendtskaber, fremstillede i en Samling af Breve. Efter Chauderlos-Laclos's franske Original. [Oversat af Hans Frederik Hellesen]

Kjöbenhavn, Udgivernes Forlag, 1832.

8vo. Bound uncut in a lovely late blue half morocco binding by Tora Gerleff, with gilt title and year stamped to the lower spine. The front and back boards are covered with beautifully patterned paper in blue and beige tones. The binding presents nicely with only light signs of wear. Overall, the book is clean and well-preserved, both inside and out.


The very rare first edition of the first Danish translation of "Dangerous Liaisons". The controversial first edition, in French, appeared in 1782 and caused great uproar. It created an immediate scandal for its unflinching portrayal of seduction, manipulation, and moral decay among the French aristocracy on the eve of the Revolution. Written in the form of a series of letters, it offered a biting critique of aristocratic intrigue and abuse of power. Its perceived immorality led to the work being banned in several countries; in France, it was condemned during the Bourbon Restoration, officially banned in 1825, and ordered destroyed, with no new editions issued there until around 1891. It also remained on the Vatican’s Index of Forbidden Books until the list was abolished in 1966.

‘De farlige Bekjendtskaber’ is the Danish translation by Hans Frederik Hellesen (1791–1849), a civil servant who played a central role in introducing foreign works to Danish readers in the early 19th century. Hellesen, who served as a copyist and later as chamber councillor at the Bank and Exchange Office in Copenhagen, translated several significant works—including Walter Scott’s ‘Kenilworth’ (1825) and other historical and literary texts. By translating ‘De farlige Bekjendtskaber’, Hellesen made Laclos’s groundbreaking and once-forbidden novel available to a Danish audience and contributed to the dissemination of European Enlightenment literature in Denmark. This translation stands as a testament to Hellesen’s efforts as a mediator of international literature and cements his position as one of the most important Danish translators of the 19th century.

Order-nr.: 61689

DKK 8.500,00