The London Review of Books recently ran a long critical essay on the life and work of Alain Robbe-Grillet. He directed films and wrote novels about sadomasochism. In passing, the essay referred to Robbe-Grillet's wife Catherine, as receiving "clients" in a "chambre secrète." She objected.

I know that this critique will be widely read, and there's the rub, the reason I am particularly distressed by an inaccuracy which, in view of the reputation of the LRB, is likely to be taken as gospel: I have never received 'clients', either in my 'chambre secrète' or anywhere else; neither before Alain's death, nor after. I have only ever been a dominatrix for my personal pleasure, never ever for money! (This fact would be easy enough to verify.) Please know that it would be most prejudicial to me should such a misconception ever be taken as fact.

Catherine Robbe-Grillet has a long and distinguished career of her own. She too writes novels about sadomasochism, at one point doing so under a male pseudonym to see if they'd get taken more seriously. They were.

And there is at least one documentary kicking around about the way she works. So she's right: "This fact would be easy enough to verify."

[Image via Getty; h/t to Parul Sehgal for pointing this out.]