Customer Reviews

History of My Life

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My introduction to Casanova was in Paris of the sixties as a young Canadian student at the Sorbonne. At that time, Tante Ivette, the general's wife was imposing a rule of high morals in Paris. Not all books were always available, even on the Left Bank. However, one day while meandering through the Librairie Joseph Gibert on Boulevard St. Michel, I found there a Hachette Collection du Flambeau edition of a' Histoire de ma vie par Jacques Casanova'. Needless to say, I was in ecstasy, but knowing the rules, also a bit sheepish. I took it to checkout and put it in front of the salesclerk. He looked at the book then gave me a stare of wild amazement.I believed I was to be shipped out straight to French Guianna's Cayenne Islands. Monsieur, je ne peux pas vous permettre d'acheter. I interrupted with a quick snap in english " but I am Canadian". A brief 'bon' was all I heard and the book was mine. I highly recommend Casanova to every man. To read it is to have an education in the humanities of the highest order. There is no one like him to introduce the pre revolutionary 18th century to the reader. In our times, most will know him as the complete seducer of women. Almost right. He loved woman, as women loved him. Above all and in all, he was a true gentleman. Read him then and know his charm. Out of learning evil is not bred, nor virtue found in all who are unread.

i became interested in casanova after his famous and daring escape from prison was explained to me during a tour of the doges palace in venice. i found on reading it that the book is much more than a life: it is an extended observation and commentary on the mores of european elites in the middle of the 18th century.

the complete english translation by willard trask has been edited to about half its length for this everyman edition, but all deleted passages are briskly summarized by the editor, peter washington. all casanova's major exploits, including the prison break and his principal seductions, are here in full; there is a useful editorial introduction, a serviceable index (proper names are included, but key topics such as "gambling" or "casino" are not), and exhaustive endnotes.

casanova is a marvelous human paradox: a "sensation seeking" risk taker who prided himself on his reason and intelligence; a freethinking skeptic of religion who nevertheless believed in the necessity of religion and the psychological benefits of prayer; a literary scholar who practiced medicine on the fly; a cheat, liar and seducer who prided himself on his honor; an enlightenment denier of superstition who nevertheless practiced cabalistic incantations and dark arts; a man of whim and impulse who claimed never to have abandoned his duty, at least when he had one. as a writer he has a fabulous ear for dialog, wit and characteristic speech, and the book is filled with memorable characters, humble and great, rich and poor, famous and incidental.

casanova lived at a time when the institutions of nobility and clergy were rupturing under the weight of their own immoraity and arbitrary power. this book makes very clear that his amorous and duplicitous escapades were really acts of defiance against the moral authority of church and state--a sustained campaign "against fools," as he puts it. hogarth's prints, fielding's novels and voltaire's screeds are kin in spirit. to give one intricate example of hypocrisy run amok: casanova seduces and "marries" with promises a teenage girl, who is clapped into a nunnery. a young nun at the same convent -- daughter of a noble family, atheist and mistress of the french ambassador to venice -- seduces casanova's "wife" into a lesbian affair and becomes enamored of casanova himself. she initiates a liaison with him into which her ambassador lover and casanova's "wife" are drawn as a "ménage à quatre". the frenchman later becomes a bishop in the church; but casanova is clapped into prison because he seduces a married woman who is also lusted after by one of the venetian grand inquisitors, who wield unchallenged powers. across many similar escapades, frauds and exploits one becomes starkly aware of the institutional and cultural decay that were widespread in the 18th century, and shaped the resentments that erupted in the french and american revolutions.

the translation by willard trask is excellent, and there is hardly one page in the 1100 that is not hair raising or jaw dropping for its picture of human conduct and human character. despite his protestations of honor and intelligence casanova is candid about his own decadence and stupidity -- written, as he says, so that others may laugh with him at his life. his honesty may have led posterity to heap the sins of the century on his head, but the book makes clear that he was at best a slippery and cheerful swimmer in a very polluted sea.

The Everyman's Library edition of Casanova is abridged from the original, and the Amazon.com description does not note the fact.

This is a huge book and I did have to take a break from it now and then. It is quite informative of European life in the 1700's. It's quite a different perspective on Casanova then what we normally hear. You can see how he's maturing as the years pass, but he never is the "ordinary". In his intoduction, J. J. Norwich explains that Casanova respected women and loved them. I can understand why Norwich says in his introduction that if he should make it to heaven, he hopes that Giacomo Casanova will be of the company.

If you think you know Casanova from the movies or other books that you've read, you should do yourself a favor and pick up his memoir. To say that Casanova was a womanzier would be a grand understatement, but HISTORY OF MY LIFE also reveals him to be so much more. Part entertainer, part lover (okay, more than part), part con-artist, this books makes for some of the most exciting and unbelievable reading I've done in a very long time. I only wish I could have had the opportunity to meet this man - although, not as one his his conquests!

I read the HIstory of My LIfe by Casanova - the free kindle version. In the Kindle version there are 30 volumes and it appears to be a complete history. Be warned, though, that Casanova's memoirs end at Volume 29. Volume 30 is a historian's wrapping up of his life.

This particular version that I am reviewing here is a discussion of this book. It is nicely referenced with lots of footnotes to explain unfamiliar terms and historical details. However, some of the most exciting stories that Casanova shares with the reader are simply edited out with a couple of sentences as reference. For example, Casanova's alibi, one of the most fascintating tales of revenge I've ever read, is referenced briefly. Huh?

So, if you want to read about Casanova and don't want to purchase all the volumes, buy a kindle or download the pdf files from gutenberg.org. It's well worth the effort and you won't miss a single exciting moment from the life of this fascinating man!

A truly great biography! Casanova was so much more than a mere lover! A most highly cultured gentleman, a violinist, and a brilliantly practical man who was the only one to ever escape from a Venetian prison. His whole writing is superbly sophisticated.I think he was more a ladies man than a womanizer. He certainly had enormous respect for women.

I chose this book because I was curious what it is about Casanova that made him so famous. Well, I was disappointed to learn that his great sexual adventures are not that much of adventures for today's people. For example, he fainted when saw a lady's ankle. On the other hand, I really enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of the 18 c. person: the values and motivations that stood behind his actions. I discovered some interesting facts about the old Italian customs and was quite amazed to know that Casanova studied to be become a priest. I do not regret spending time to read this book.

The History of My life by G. Casanova is a massive undertaking. More than 1000 pages of small print on very thin paper. Difficult to hold, impossible to travel with, but some great excercise for those in need of arm work.

The romantic conquests are nonstop (he seems to specialize in sisters) and it is sometimes difficult to believe this isn't retrospective wishful thinking on the part of an older Mr Casanova.

The strength of the book is its wonderful look at 18th Century Italy, and other places, and its descriptions of both the well-appointed and Everyman. If you have some time on your hands, perhaps snow bound in a frozen cabin and needing either a jump-start on your sex life or a wish for a good look into a fanciful life that took place 300 years ago, this book is for you.