Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Coming to Vienna - The most famous Viennese Sadist

By most famous Viennese Sadist Woman i do not mean Countess Bathory, even if She was visiting Vienna quite often, but Mrs. Kadivec. Ida Edith Rosza Kadivec (1879-1953) settled permanently in Vienna in December 1915 with Her daughter and one month later, 1st of February 1916, She is opening private language school on Biberstraße 9. Eight years later, 3rd of January 1924, police searched the school and arrested Mrs. Kadivec. They found a collection of whips, rods, belts, birches, canes, together with pornographic materials and sex toys. The teacher and director of the school openly used corporal punishment on Her young pupils and Her own daughter (nothing unique at the time), but She enjoyed it a little too much and also She did not hesitate to invite other people to watch... it became regular show for well situated  friends of Mrs. Kadivec, who happily paid for it.
The sensational trial with Her and Her six 'friends' was held behind closed doors, but whole case was well covered by Viennese newspapers (so well, that 'cadivezzln' became popular neologism for 'to flagellate someone' in Viena). Mrs. Kadivec was sentenced to six (later reduced to five) years of hard labor, but She was free in December 1925 already (came out on Christmas amnesty). She changed Her name to Edith Christally and kept challenge the verdict to until the end of life.
What made Her famous though are two books and one article She wrote - 'My Destiny' (published in 1926 and later rewritten and extended into Confessions and Experiences, 1931) and 'Eros, the meaning of my life' (1931). The article - 'Sadist - Masochist - Flagellant' has been written in 1930 for almanac about Women's sexuality. It is said She wrote it for money, but it was all published (repeatedly) as private prints usually for subscribers. She was quite opened in both books and gave us very unique insight into life of dominant Woman (and bisexual and slightly sadistic). Both books became a classic of SM literature.

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