The Story of My Life (Penguin Classics)
by Giacomo Casanova
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Book Summary Information
Author: Giacomo CasanovaEditor: Gilberto Pizzamiglio
Translator: Stephen Sartarelli
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-05-01
ISBN: 0140439153
Number of pages: 576
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Reviews of The Story of My Life (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: 1/2... The Life and Love's of History's Most Famous Libertine
Summary: 4 Stars
Casanova. The word conjures love, lust, seduction, and romantic brilliance. The man and the name have become icons for the past two and a half centuries as the epitome in the art of love.
Giacomo Geronimo Casanova was born in 1725 at Venice to parents who were actors. At a young age he was brought to a boarding school near Padua where the child developed a precociousness which impressed his elders. At 17, he obtained a doctorate in law from the University of Padua and began a career in the clergy. He travelled to southern Italy and Rome and became a secretary to the cardinal. His career with the church was cut short by scandal, an occurence which would become a fixture all throughout his life. Shortly after he joined the army as an officer of low-rank for the Republic of Venice and was stationed at Corfu, but gave up military life to become a violinist back at Venice. At the age of 21, he saved the life of a Venetian nobleman who became a patron of long-standing to the young man and who elevated him to the status of a wealthy gentleman. This gave him the privilege to travel across the breadth of Europe, meeting famous people of the day and pursuing amorous encounters where his lasting reputation rests. A talented conversationalist, he was frequently invited to the social circles of diverse European society, rubbing shoulders equally with cobblers and royalty. His fickle and temperamental personality got him into frequent scrapes with the law: he duped gullible socialites, started lotteries; became a spy, diplomat, and writer. The Inquisition of Venice accused him of witchcraft and was sentenced to imprisonment in "The Leads" prison, one of the most secure penal infrastructures of the time, where he made a sensational escape. He became an exile from his homeland and resumed his travels across Europe. In 1785 he became librarian to the Count of Waldstein in the castle of Dux, Bohemia, where he spent his last years recalling his brilliant and turbulent life and writing his memoirs.
And it is in this memoirs where his life and legacy are contained. Written in a flowing, stainless elegance, Casanova's "Memoirs" is one of the best and most representative artifacts from the Age of Enlightenment. The sights and sounds of 18th-Century European life are recreated through the eyes and senses of one intelligent and opinionated observer. Witness the humor of Casanova being duped by his first love and the theater women of Paris. Revel in the taboo of peeking into the loverboy's seduction of a nun as he goes to great lengths to provide the right place and mood for their nocturnal trysts. Read in barely contained excitement and tension as he makes his remarkable escape from the dreaded "Leads" prison. Be thrilled and sympathize with the proud but foolish fop as he duels with a Polish noble and almost get's hanged in the process. Watch in fascination as he meets and matches intellect with the leading notables of his day, all now prominent figures of world history: Catherine the Great, Voltaire, Frederick the Great, etc. Experience the sensations of our hero as he attempts to seduce a French noblewoman (dissapointingly), and an attractive Spanish girl (more successfully), both incidents decades apart. The man is given justice by the able translation of Stephen Sartarelli and Sophie Hawkes.
My only criticism of this edition is the scarcity of material offered. Although this 500+ page abridgement serves as perhaps the best introduction in the English language, for a work that totals nearly 4,000 pages, the editor could at least have made the book double in size to cover more aspects of the man's colorful life story. The man's meeting with Mozart is not included, and one can imagine many more incidents worthy of reading which were omitted.
After reading his reminiscences, one can admire Casanova for the vastness of his intellect and personal and social skills. But one can't help but feel that the man wasted his talent and life by focusing too much on the petty and lowly preoccupations of human existence. With the man's intelligence and talents, one feels that he could have done more for society and his fellow man. The use of wisdom gained through such a life should have been elevated to a more worthy and longer-lasting goal. One is left with the impression that Casanova was a mere Hugh Hefner or Larry Flynt with culture. That's all.
This is the memoir of the greatest icon of Western romance. Any person with the slightest interest towards love and sex should read this book in his/her lifetime. After satiating one's appetite with this mere appetizer, one should immediately dive into the complete oeuvre of the man's autobiography. This has been quite an experience already.
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