Try De Sade's Valet by Nikolaj Frobenius (ISBN 0714530603). It's got a similar feel, is also set in France and is based on the real-life servant of the Marquis de Sade. However, it is very much a fictional biography.
was also surprised and delighted by "perfume". have you read anything by alisdair gray? also... have you found anything similar to perfume? as an aside, the person who gave me "perfume", i had most recently loaned "the dice man" to. maybe irrelevant.