Of all of Casanova’s adventures, producing “Histoire de Ma Vie,” his epic, 12-volume memoir, may have been the most brazen. It was also his last.
Casanova never forgave his mother for an exile that his siblings didn’t suffer. “Thus was my family rid of me,” he writes. But he treasured his connection to Baffo: “I owe him my life.” It’s worth pausing to consider what else he owed to a man he called a “sublime genius.” Baffo wrote pornographic sonnets in the Venetian dialect that were admired by his libertine contemporaries and condemned by the Inquisition—a badge of honor that Casanova would one day be proud to wear.
Giacomo’s stay in Padua was among his longer sojourns in one place. His grandmother rescued him from a vermin-ridden boarding house where his landlady had starved him, and lodged him with a young priest, Antonio Gozzi, whom he would later recall gratefully. Gozzi tutored him in Latin and nurtured his love of study, preparing him to earn a law degree. The clergyman also happened to have a sister, Bettina, a beauty in her early teens. Bettina took charge of the boy’s toilette.
“Histoire” doesn’t shy away from the fact that the author’s liaisons with older men were often transactional. Rome, he dryly notes, “obliges the whole human race to turn pederast, but won’t admit it.” Yet one of his most memorable seductions took place there. His lover was a married woman, Donna Lucrezia Castelli, and their clandestine fornication, some of it alfresco, produced a child.
In July, 1755, without being informed of the charges against him, Casanova was clapped into a rat-infested cell in the Ducal Palace—an infamous attic prison whose metal-plated roof gave it its name, the Leads. No one had ever escaped it, but he resolved to. He improvised a chisel and used his bed to hide the progress of his excavations. But then he was moved to a different cell. As the months passed, his prospects for release seemed to grow dimmer.
Next up was Germany, where he failed to impress Boswell or the Prussian king. His courtship of the empress Catherine proved equally unavailing. In Poland, King Stanisław tipped him two hundred ducats for reciting Horace—one of Casanova’s favorite party tricks—though he subsequently ordered him to leave Warsaw. Florence expelled him on suspicion of cheating at cards. He was run out of Vienna and Madrid.
In 1789, without an outlet for his mischief and deprived of the nourishment that had always sustained him—the fresh sensations of lust and wanderlust—Casanova consoled himself by embarking on his memoirs. The French Revolution was also just beginning. He died nine years later and was buried in an unmarked grave.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why Elvis Presley's Death Continues to Stir Conspiracy Theories - E! OnlineElvis Presley's storied life is the stuff of movies—literally. But what about the conspiracy theories surrounding his death? Well, that's the stuff of true-crime documentaries.
Read more »
Train strikes: Why haven't they caused more disruption?The post-pandemic shift to working from home means disruption caused by the strikes has been more limited.
Read more »
Take it or leave it: why the McLaren 12C was a near-masterpiece | AutocarThe McLaren MP4-12C is our used car pick of the week
Read more »
Terra's LUNA price needs to show this accumulation pattern, here's whyTerra's LUNA price fails to hurdle the $2.00 barrier. There is still not enough evidence to confirm bullish rally will occur. Early invalidation of t
Read more »
Why Is Revlon Stock Up 600% After Filing For Bankruptcy?After hitting $1.95 in trading last week, Revlon’s stock price has surged to close at $8.14 on Wednesday. This comes after an announcement the company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. We unpack the reasons behind this stock's recent surge.
Read more »
Why Kliff Kingsbury Could Be First NFL Coach Fired in 2022Vegas and even our own JustinM_NFL say Matt Rhule is on the biggest hot seat this season. But jfmckessy is coming in hot with another take: Kliff Kingsbury will get fired first. FrontOffice33 | AZCardinals | KeepPounding
Read more »