(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. government is funding a translation of a novel by the Marquis de Sade that, according to the National Endowment for the Arts, “is replete with Sade's black humor, unique philosophy, and original thought.”

The term “sadism,” which Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines as “a sexual perversion in which gratification is obtained by the infliction of physical or mental pain on others,” is derived from Sade’s name because of his notoriety for engaging in such behavior and celebrating it in his writings.

Sade, who lived in France from 1740 to 1814, wrote the novel in question, Aline and Valcour, when imprisoned in the Bastille. It was published in French in 1795.

The $12,500 NEA grant to translate this work into English went to author John Galbraith Simmons, who told CNSNews.com: “Sade is a figure who belongs with Shakespeare, with the greatest of authors.” Simmons is undertaking the translation with his wife, Jocelyne Geneviève Barque.

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