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Arrested for crimes against religion, Casanova is sentenced to five years imprisonment in the infamous prison of the Doge of Venice. Held in solitary confinement, he suffers in darkness and silence, through unbearable heat and an infestation of fleas, longing for nothing more than freedom. With the help of a fellow prisoner, and after months of planning, Casanova makes his escape.
About the author
Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) was an Italian adventurer and author. Born in Venice, Casanova was the eldest of six siblings born to Gaetano Casanova and Zanetta Farussi, an actor and actress. Raised in a city noted for its cosmopolitanism, night life, and glamor, Casanova overcame a sickly childhood to excel in school, entering the University of Padua at the age of 12. After graduating in 1742 with a degree in law, he struggled to balance his work as a lawyer and low-level cleric with a growing gambling addiction. As scandals and a prison sentence threatened to derail his career in the church, Casanova managed to find work as a scribe for a powerful Cardinal in Rome, but was soon dismissed and entered military service for the Republic of Venice. Over the next several years, he left the service, succeeded as a professional gambler, and embarked on a Grand Tour of Europe. Towards the end of his life, Casanova worked on his exhaustive, scandalous memoirs, a 12-volume autobiography reflecting on a legendary life of romance and debauchery that brought him from the heights of aristocratic society to the lows of illness and imprisonment. Recognized for his self-styled sensationalism as much as he is for his detailed chronicling of 18th century European culture, Casanova is a man whose name is now synonymous with the kind of life he led-fast, fearless, and free.
Summary
Memoirs of Casanova (1792) is the autobiography of Italian adventure and socialite Giacomo Casanova. Written at the end of his life, the Memoirs capture the experiences of one of Europe’s most notorious figures, a man whose escapades as a gambler, womanizer, and socialite are matched only by his unique gift for sharing them with the world. More than perhaps any other man, Casanova sought to emulate the lessons of the Enlightenment on the level of everyday life, a sentiment captured perfectly in the opening sentence of his Memoirs: “I will begin with this confession: whatever I have done in the course of my life, whether it be good or evil, has been done freely; I am a free agent.” Memoirs of Casanova Volume X finds Giacomo Casanova in grave danger, perhaps the most serious of his life. Having fallen into the trap of Manucci, a spy for the state, Casanova is arrested and sentenced without trial to five years imprisonment. Held in the infamous Leads, the prison under the Doge’s Palace, he suffers in solitary confinement through unbearable heat, overwhelming darkness, and an infestation of fleas. After months in this cell, he is moved from solitary confinement, given better clothes and accommodations, and allowed to go outside for brief, supervised walks. Seeing an opportunity, Casanova begins planning his escape, collecting tools and conspiring with a fellow prisoner in order to achieve his freedom. When the day arrives, and after several aborted attempts, he seizes his only chance. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Giacomo Casanova’s Memoirs of Casanova is a classic of European literature reimagined for modern readers.
