Giacomo Casanova Livres

Casanova's life story offers a fascinating glimpse into 18th-century European social customs and norms, blending autobiography with memoir. Renowned for his romantic escapades, he has become a symbol of seduction, making his experiences not only personal but also reflective of the era's societal dynamics. His writings provide an authentic account of a world filled with intrigue, romance, and adventure, capturing the essence of a unique historical period through his captivating narrative.

Seducer, gambler, necromancer, swindler, swashbuckler, poet, self-made gentleman, bon vivant, Giacomo Casanova was not only the most notorious lover of the Western world, but a supreme story teller. He lived a life stranger than most fictions, and the tale of his own adventures is his most compelling story, and one that remained unfinished at the time of his death. This new selection contains all the highlights of Casanova's life: his youth in Venice as a precocious ecclesiastic; his dabbling in the occult; his imprisonment and thrilling escape; and his amorous conquests, ranging from noblewomen to nuns.

One of the few works written in Casanova’s native Italian, The Duel is an important example of the infamous Lothario’s vivid prose style. Translated for the first time into English, this autobiographical novel describes Casanova’s extraordinary battle with a Polish count, while on the run from the Venetian authorities. Having escaped from Venice’s infamous Piombi Prison, Casanova was forced into exile. Far from destitute, however, his reputation gained him entry into European society’s highest echelons. Yet there, he soon found himself obliged to engage in a duel over a ballerina—a lady in whom neither he nor his Polish rival had the slightest interest. Recounting the deadly encounter and the surprising events it precipitated with sardonic wit, Casanova creates a work of thrilling adventure and inimitable literary style. Giacomo Casanova was an adventurer, a spy, a poet, and a novelist. His literary reputation rests on his remarkable History of My Life, which vividly records not only his exploits and adventures but the manners and morals of the day.

Casanova grapples with his desire for spiritual devotion while being drawn to earthly pleasures. Despite his attempts to join the seminary, his indulgent lifestyle proves difficult to abandon. His journey leads him to a position with a powerful Bishop, but his reckless behavior ultimately lands him in legal trouble, highlighting the tension between his aspirations and temptations.

Giacomo Casanova's autobiography reveals his vibrant life as a gambler, womanizer, and socialite during his young adulthood. As he concludes a passionate affair with a noblewoman in Corfu, he faces challenges transitioning to life in Venice, where his compulsive gambling habits lead to financial ruin. Struggling to survive, he takes up the violin while serving a Venetian senator after a fateful encounter. This volume captures his attempts to navigate the complexities of noble life and his relentless pursuit of reinvention amidst the Enlightenment's ideals.