This is Pierre Klossowski’s most recent novel and is taken into account by means of many to be his masterpiece. It was once provided the Prix des evaluations while first released in France in 1965. the writer, who has learn, loved, and written approximately Sade and Nietzsche in addition to the medical professionals of the Church, is a spirit rather comfortable with extremes. Of him it may be acknowledged that he'll by no means stop to maintain one foot within the seminary and the opposite within the brothel. within the Baphomet, theological and metaphysical matters interlace with eroticism and sophisticated irony. Klossowski’s fanciful thought is that each 12 months the “breaths” of the long-gone Templar clergymen assemble at the anniversary of the torment and execution in their Grand grasp. in this celebration they devote the sexual iniquities and blasphemous acts of which they'd been compelled to falsely accuse each other in entrance of an Inquisition tribunal. The reader will meet Ogier de Beauséant, an ambiguously captivating web page boy, whose essence holds not anything lower than the spirit of Theresa of Avila disadvantaged of her sanctity via Klossowski’s perverted belief; Nietzsche within the physique of an anteater; the writer himself because the confessor; the Grand grasp of the Temple as a hornet; after which Philip the reasonable; the Antichrist; the King of 2 Sicilies; Bernini; brothers Malvoisie and Bois-Guilbert (from Ivanhoe); Saint John of the pass: and all is whirling round the androgynous Baphomet, idol of the Templars, image of the everlasting go back and the doctrines of the good heresiarchs of gnosticism.

André-Pieyre de Mandiargues wrote in Le Figaro: “. . . a unique within which we're happy to welcome a triumph of tradition in addition to essentially the most audacious items of contemporary spirit. In it, perversion triumphs on each airplane and brings alongside a dizzying experience of relativity of all ethical values and all time and area notions.” Foucault stated that: “The conception of the ‘breaths’ in Klossowski’s Baphomet is said, for who is aware what percentage features, to the whole thing of Western philosophy. yet then, as a result mise-en-scene, the formula, the way during which it features within the novel, it breaks off from it altogether.” And Maurice Blanchot: "The Baphomet, starting to be delusion the legend of the Templars, interprets, with baroque sumptuosity, the adventure of Nietzsche’s everlasting Return.” The Baphomet, which has been released in numerous ecu international locations, was once additionally praised by way of such personalities as Jacques Lacan, Gilles Deleuze, and Michel Butor.