The Sorrows of Satan

The Sorrows of Satan took the world by storm when it was published in 1895. Widely regarded as one of the world’s first bestsellers—this book stirred up controversy both from the condemnation it got and from its mass appeal and surprising support from quarters like Oscar Wilde and members of the British royalty.

This Faustian novel follows the story of a penniless, starving author Geoffrey Tempest whose fortunes change after he receives three letters. The first is from a friend in Australia who has made his fortune and offers to introduce him to a good friend who might be able to lift him from poverty. The second is a note from a solicitor detailing that he has inherited a fortune from a deceased relative. The third is a letter of introduction from a foreign aristocrat called Lucio, who befriends him and proceeds to be his guide in how best to use his newfound wealth. Tempest remains blissfully unaware throughout the novel, despite warnings from people he meets, that Lucio is the earthly incarnation of the Devil. Will Tempest find redemption or will the Devil?

Marie Corelli was the pseudonym of English novelist Mary Mackay or Minnie Mackey.
From the appearance of her first novel A Romance of Two Worlds, in 1886, she became a bestselling fiction-writer, her works largely concerned with spirituality, reincarnation, astral projection and mysticism. Yet despite her many distinguished patrons, she was often ridiculed by critics. Corelli lived her later years in Stratford-upon-Avon, whose historic buildings she fought hard to preserve.