History of My Life
SynopsisPlot
The name of Giacomo Casanova, Chevalier de Seingalt (1725-98), is now synonymous with amorous exploits, and there are plenty of these, vividly narrated, in his memoirs. But Casanova was not just an energetic lover. In his time he was a diplomat, businessman, trainee priest, traveler, prisoner, magician, confidence man, gambler, professional entertainer, and charlatan. He financed business projects, organized lotteries, wrote opera libretti, and dabbled in high politics. Above all he was an autobiographer of enduring brilliance and subtlety who left behind him what is probably the most remarkable confession ever written.
Story
About this book
Giacomo Casanova, born in Venice in 1725, is remembered primarily for his romantic pursuits. His autobiography, however, covers far more ground. Written late in his life and left unfinished, History of My Life records decades of activity across eighteenth-century Europe. Casanova worked at various times as a diplomat, a gambler, a businessman, and a trainee priest. He organized lotteries, wrote opera libretti, and involved himself in political affairs. He was also imprisoned and managed to escape, eventually leaving Venice behind.
His travels took him through cities including Moscow, London, Berlin, and Constantinople, where he encountered figures such as Catherine the Great, Voltaire, Louis XV, and Rousseau. He recorded these meetings and countless smaller episodes in a memoir that runs to enormous length. The present edition draws from roughly one third of the full text, selecting the major episodes and the most substantial personal stories.
Casanova wrote the memoir in French during his final years, while living in the castle of Dux in Bohemia as a librarian. The result is a detailed, often comic, and occasionally contradictory account of a long life lived across borders, social classes, and occupations.
