Austryn Wainhouse
- February 6, 1927
- September 29, 2014
- 87 years
About Austryn Wainhouse
Austryn Wainhouse, 87, American author and translator.
Explore other notable deaths in 2014 or deaths in September 2014.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Austryn Wainhouse?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|Austryn Wainhouse (6 February 1927 – 29 September 2014[citation needed]) was an American author, publisher and translator, primarily of French works and most notably of the Marquis de Sade. He sometimes used the pseudonym Pieralessandro Casavini.
Life
Following his graduation from Harvard University, Wainhouse traveled around Europe before settling in Paris where he worked for Maurice Girodias at Olympia Press. His wife Mary, known as Muffy or Muffie, also worked for Girodias. They divorced in 1959.
In 1960, some time after Wainhouse had returned to the United States, Gay Talese described him as
.. a dis-enchanted Exeter-Harvard man who wrote a strong, esoteric novel, Hedyphagetica, and who, after several years in France, is now living in Martha's Vineyard building furniture according to the methods of the eighteenth century.
Wainhouse and his wife, Deborah Clayton Wainhouse, returned to the south of France in 2001, where he lived until his death in September 2014.
Career
In the early 1950s, Wainhouse worked for Maurice Girodias at Olympia Press in Paris, and later was an editor of the short-lived literary magazine Merlin.
Wainhouse produced the first unexpurgated English translation of the Marquis de Sade's Justine for Olympia Press in 1953. In 1955 the controversial erotic French novel Histoire d'O (Story of O) by Pauline Reage (a pseudonym for Anne Desclos), won the prestigious Prix des Deux Magots award for unconventional books. Wainhouse was hired to provide a second translation. In order to thwart the censors and protect the author and translator, Girodias changed the title to The Wisdom of the Lash.
After his return to the United States, Wainhouse embarked on a translation of Sade's entire oeuvre for Grove Press, including Justine, The 120 Days of Sodom, and Letters from the Bastille. The translation was well-received, with one reviewer calling it "appropriately and agreeably prolix."
In 1970 Wainhouse was Writer-in-Residence at the Jonas Salk Institute, and in 1972 he won the National Book Award in category Translation for Jacques Monod's Chance and Necessity (NY: Vintage, 1971).
By 1983, he had established his own publishing firm The Marlboro Press in Marlboro, Vermont, which specialized in translations of works into English, such as Louis Calaferte's C'est la Guerre and Georges Hyvernaud's Skin and Bones. His wife Deborah Clayton Wainhouse was director of the press.
Wainhouse was friends for many years with British poet Christopher Logue, with whom he carried on a lively correspondence for decades.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Articles & News
Reported coverage of Austryn Wainhouse; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Austryn Wainhouse on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austryn_Wainhouse
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Austryn Wainhouse's archived record and the sources above.
1.When did Austryn Wainhouse return to the south of France with his wife, Deborah Clayton Wainhouse?
- A.2014
- B.2001correct
- C.1983
- D.1996
Austryn Wainhouse and his wife, Deborah Clayton Wainhouse, moved back to the south of France in 2001.
Source: life section
2.In what year did Austryn Wainhouse die?
- A.2014correct
- B.1972
- C.1983
- D.2002
Austryn Wainhouse died in September 2014.
Source: biography header
3.What was the birth date of Austryn Wainhouse?
- A.10 January 1925
- B.29 September 2014
- C.6 February 1927correct
- D.15 March 1930
Austryn Wainhouse was born on 6 February 1927.
Source: biography header
4.In what city did Austryn Wainhouse work for Maurice Girodias at Olympia Press?
- A.New York
- B.Pariscorrect
- C.Marlboro
- D.London
After graduating from Harvard, Austryn Wainhouse settled in Paris to work for Maurice Girodias.
Source: life section
5.Which pseudonym did Austryn Wainhouse sometimes utilize?
- A.Pieralessandro Casavinicorrect
- B.Pauline Reage
- C.Christopher Logue
- D.Jacques Monod
Austryn Wainhouse occasionally published under the pseudonym Pieralessandro Casavini.
Source: biography header
6.Austryn Wainhouse produced the first unexpurgated English translation of which Marquis de Sade work in 1953?
- A.Juliette
- B.The 120 Days of Sodom
- C.Letters from the Bastille
- D.Justinecorrect
In 1953, Austryn Wainhouse produced the first unexpurgated English translation of the Marquis de Sade's Justine for Olympia Press.
Source: career section
7.What award did Austryn Wainhouse win in 1972?
- A.Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- B.National Book Award in category Translationcorrect
- C.Nobel Prize in Literature
- D.Prix des Deux Magots
Austryn Wainhouse won the National Book Award in the translation category in 1972 for Jacques Monod's Chance and Necessity.
Source: career section
8.What profession did Gay Talese observe Austryn Wainhouse practicing in Martha's Vineyard in 1960?
- A.Writing poetry
- B.Publishing books
- C.Building furniturecorrect
- D.Translating French novels
In 1960, Gay Talese noted that Austryn Wainhouse was living in Martha's Vineyard and building furniture according to 18th-century methods.
Source: life section
9.What was the name of the literary magazine where Austryn Wainhouse served as an editor?
- A.Traveller's Companion
- B.The Marlboro Press
- C.Evergreen Review
- D.Merlincorrect
Austryn Wainhouse served as an editor of the short-lived literary magazine titled Merlin.
Source: career section
10.Who was the co-translator with Austryn Wainhouse on the 1955 work Lascaux; or, the Birth of Art?
- A.Michael Perkins
- B.James Emmonscorrect
- C.Christopher Logue
- D.Maurice Girodias
Austryn Wainhouse co-translated Georges Bataille's Lascaux; or, the Birth of Art with James Emmons.
Source: bibliography section
11.What was the original title of the book that Girodias renamed The Wisdom of the Lash?
- A.Histoire d'Ocorrect
- B.Justine
- C.C'est la Guerre
- D.Skin and Bones
Girodias changed the title of Pauline Reage's Histoire d'O to The Wisdom of the Lash to thwart censors.
Source: career section
12.Where was the publishing firm The Marlboro Press established by Austryn Wainhouse?
- A.Paris, France
- B.Marlboro, Vermontcorrect
- C.Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
- D.Syracuse, New York
Austryn Wainhouse established The Marlboro Press in Marlboro, Vermont by 1983.
Source: career section
13.What was the title of the novel written by Austryn Wainhouse that Gay Talese described as esoteric?
- A.The Long March
- B.Chance and Necessity
- C.Hedyphageticacorrect
- D.My Mother
Gay Talese described the novel Hedyphagetica as a strong, esoteric work written by Austryn Wainhouse.
Source: life section
14.Who served as the director of The Marlboro Press?
- A.Aleksandra Kroh
- B.Anne Desclos
- C.Mary Wainhouse
- D.Deborah Clayton Wainhousecorrect
Deborah Clayton Wainhouse was the director of the publishing firm, The Marlboro Press.
Source: career section
15.In what year did Austryn Wainhouse and his first wife, Mary, divorce?
- A.1953
- B.1970
- C.1959correct
- D.1960
Austryn Wainhouse and his first wife Mary divorced in 1959.
Source: life section
16.With which British poet did Austryn Wainhouse maintain a correspondence for decades?
- A.Christopher Loguecorrect
- B.Jacques Monod
- C.Georges Hyvernaud
- D.Louis Calaferte
Austryn Wainhouse maintained a long-standing friendship and correspondence with the British poet Christopher Logue.
Source: career section
Explore the archive
People who died on September 29
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Austryn Wainhouse →Advertisement
