It wasn’t until 1994 that the mystery of The Story of O’s authorship was unveiled to the world. In an interview with John de St Jorre, published in The New Yorker and later in his book, the secret was revealed: Pauline Réage and Dominique Aury were the pseudonyms of French author Anne Desclos. Until then, many had assumed such a work could only have been written by a man.

Two decades earlier, in 1975, Confessions of O appeared in English from Viking Press. In candid conversation with writer and publisher Régine Deforges, Desclos discusses desire, censorship, and the challenges of writing erotica as a woman. A landmark in the history of erotic literature, Confessions of O unravels the mystery of Pauline Réage and offers a rare glimpse into the mind behind one of the most notorious books of the 20th century.