Giacomo Casanova lived in the eighteenth century, but the fame of his actions and life still haunts our minds.
The eighteenth century gave us many great people, great were their discoveries, who was the greatest lover not only of dissolute Venice, but of all of Italy, of the whole world? Casanova was not only a great lover and a cunning fellow, but also a curious traveler, a talented writer and translator. The first impetus for long wanderings and escape from his native Venice was his disorderly fornication, for which he was put behind prison bars. Casanova was a schemer and a cheater, a swindler and a deceiver, but he never resorted to rape. Women themselves went crazy over his athletic body, dark velvety skin, wit and natural liveliness of mind. For most of the women he wanted, this explosive mixture was enough, but there were also those who refused him. As soon as a woman refused to be intimate with him, Casanova began to feverishly weave a network of intrigues, his pressure and signs of attention to the woman did not decrease, on the contrary, they increased. He always tried, no matter what, to achieve what he wanted. He liked the competitive process of courtship, which promised a range of emotions and adventures. Among all the greatest lovers of history and literature, Casanova must be given his due. He never thought primarily about his own pleasure; he fulfilled women’s deepest desires. His art of seduction became famous thanks to his insight; he foresaw most women's desires, and only then translated them into reality. He knew how, what and how much a woman wants. Very often, Casanova himself was completely in love with his women. Reading his memoirs, one can be convinced that he remembers a lot of people, reliably describes events, and through the lines one can see not only a faintly perceptible sadness, but also a devoted tenderness for each of them. We can say that he not only received passion and love from women, but also gave it in equal measure.
Casanova was born in Venice on April 2, 1725. His mother worked on the stage of the Venetian theater, and Casanova himself could already guess about his father. At that time, Zanetta Farussi was the wife of the dancer Casanova, who disowned the child, pointing to other actors and men. Such parents would not only never have been able to raise a worthy and intelligent person, they would not have been able to provide the basics, and the boy was sent to be raised by his grandmother. A little later, two younger brothers repeated his fate. The middle one, Francesco Casanova, became a famous painter who studied with the best masters in Venice at the time. Casanova's paintings are in the Hermitage and the Louvre, England and Italy, in the best museums in Europe. If Francesco was crazy about painting landscapes, and painted portraits just because, then his younger brother Giovanni, the famous archaeologist, considered portrait painting as his hobby.
Male lust awoke quite early in a teenager under eleven years old. In all its glory, this crazy desire made itself felt next to the sister of the owner of the house in which the grandmother and grandson lived. Despite this, Giacomo made love for the first time only at the age of seventeen or eighteen. In the twelve volumes of his memoirs, Casanova wrote a lot not so much about his life and women, but about the very pleasure that they gave him. During his long and very colorful life, he knew very young girls and respectable matrons, nuns and courtesans, widows, aristocrats and peasant women, and he did not disdain men.
Exactly. Giacomo Casanova gave his love not only to women, but also to men. During his youth, the king of adventures and scams studied at a theological seminary and prepared for the priesthood, but his Puritan thoughts were never destined to come true. For his immoral study of occult literature and promiscuous homosexual relationships, he was expelled. Almost immediately after his expulsion, he was called to serve Venice.
In adulthood, the tireless Casanova could make love at a record pace for a long time, due to his lack of respect for decency, he did not care about the time, place and position of what was happening. For example, during a daytime visit to one of the monasteries, a nun voluntarily gave him a deep blowjob through the grate separating them.
For Casanova always sensitive and weak topic there was a topic of his origin that not only confused him, but literally depressed him. As mentioned above, while preparing for a spiritual mission, the young Venetian studied the foggy and unexplained sciences, including homeopathy. It was the study of the latter that played an important role for him. When the young adventurer turned twenty-one, fate brings him together with the powerful but very sick aristocrat Matteo Brigadine. Using all his knowledge and skills, Giacomo managed to cure the old man from certain death, and he, in gratitude for the saved life, adopts him. The famous Chevalier de Sengalt appears: “I was not born a nobleman, I achieved the nobility myself.” The new gay dad sponsors Casanova's trips to Paris, Naples, Rome and Constantinople. However, he did not have to be a Venetian court dandy for a relatively long time. Thanks to his love victories, acquired title and extravagant sense of humor, Casanova had many ill-wishers. He was captured by soldiers and put in prison for heresy; he had cabalistic literature with him. However, the reason for the detention was not only heresy, but also blasphemy and admiration for Freemasonry!
It is unknown how he managed to escape from prison; only countless guesses and assumptions can be made on this topic. Having escaped from Venice, Casanova gets to know Europe. First he went to France, Germany, then cold Russia, to Switzerland... In 1756, having arrived in Paris, Casanova earns his living by organizing a state lottery and speculation. When the rogue gets bored with Paris and its constant bustle, he moves to Berlin, where he makes acquaintance with Frederick the Great. The years 1764-1765 spent in Russia were marked by an acquaintance with Lieutenant Lunin, with whom Casanova exchanged vows of love and fidelity. At the same time, he had an audience with Catherine, Empress of the Russian Empire, regarding differences in calendars. After Russia, there are still many countries and cities where Casanova visited... Casanova was a very smart, educated and intelligent person, among his friends were: Count Alexei Orlov, Mozart, Voltaire, Goethe.
Looking at his love affairs, Lieutenant Lunin is not the only significant attachment. In Geneva, after visiting Voltaire, Giacomo meets the French woman Henriette. Henriette was very beautiful, educated, and well trained in court etiquette. They lived in the same hotel room for about three months, after which each of them went their separate ways. After many long years, finding himself in this room by chance, the tireless lover discovered the inscription: “You and Henriette will forget,” but no... Henriette was not so easy to forget.
In 1774, the Jesuit Order attracted Casanova's established political connections, his intelligence and natural charm to their side. This rogue spent the next seven years in Venice as a spy for the Inquisition. But the position of informant made Casanova despondent; he was quite tired of the sophisticated and arrogant Venetian court, which great lover described in his next satirical memoirs. The memoirs were made public, which made the hair of the top intelligentsia stand on end; thanks to Grimaldi, who was wounded to the very heart, Giacomo Casanova was forever expelled from his native Italy. Casanova devoted the next years of his life to books, literature and his memoirs in the Bohemian Castle Du with Count von Waldstein as a personal librarian.
The famous Venetian adventurer, whose name became a household name, was a brilliant storyteller; gradually he began to write down his stories; These notes grew into memoirs.
Like any true adventurer, Casanova spends his life on the road. Arriving one day in Constantinople, he meets the venerable philosopher Yusuf and the rich Turk Ismail. Admiring Casanova's judgment, Yusuf invites him to convert to Islam, marry his only daughter and become his rightful heir. Ismail himself shows his love to the guest, which is why he almost breaks up with the hospitable Turk. Having experienced a number of more adventures, Casanova departs back to Europe, stopping at the island of Corfu, where he manages to fall in love and have an affair.
On the way to Paris, Casanova is delayed in Turin; there he finds “everything beautiful - the city, the courtyard, the theater” and women, starting with the Duchesses of Savoy. But, despite this, none of the local ladies receives the love of the great heartthrob, except for a random laundress at the hotel, and therefore he soon continues on his way. Staying in Lyon, Casanova becomes a “free mason, apprentice,” and two months later, in Paris, he rises to the second level, and then to the third, that is, he receives the title of “master.” “This level is the highest,” because other titles have only a symbolic meaning and “do not add anything to the title of master.”
In Paris, Casanova watches, observes, and meets literary celebrities. Crebillon praises Casanova's skill as a storyteller, but notes that his French speech, although quite understandable, sounds “as if it were Italian phrases.” Crebillon is ready to give lessons to the talented Italian, and Casanova studies under his guidance for a whole year French. The inquisitive traveler visits the Opera, the Italians, the French Comedy, as well as the Hotel du Roule, a cheerful establishment headed by Madame Paris. The girls there make such a strong impression on the Italian that he regularly visits him until his move to Fontainebleau.
Louis XV hunts in Fontainebleau every year, and for the month and a half that the king spends hunting, the entire court, along with actors and actresses from the Opera, move to Fontainebleau. There Casanova meets the august family, as well as Madame de Pompadour, who is sincerely in love with her handsome king. Revolving among the charming ladies of the court, Casanova does not forget about the beautiful townspeople. The daughter of his landlady becomes the culprit of his clash with French justice. Noticing that the girl is in love with him, the adventurer cannot help but console the beauty, and it soon turns out that she will have a child. The girl's mother goes to court, but the judge, after listening to the accused's cunning answers, lets him go in peace, sentencing him only to pay legal costs. However, touched by the girl’s tears, Casanova gives her money for the birth. Subsequently, he meets her at a fair - she has become an actress in a comic opera. The girl Vezian, a young Italian who came to Paris to pity the minister and get something for her deceased father, an officer, also became an actress. French army. Casanova helps her young compatriot get a job as a performer at the Opera, where she quickly finds herself a rich patron. Casanova arranges the fate of a dirty thirteen-year-old girl he accidentally met in a booth. Having seen with a sharp gaze under the dirt the amazing perfection of the girl’s forms, Casanova washes her with his own hands and sends her to the artist to paint her portrait. This portrait catches the eye of the king, who immediately orders the original to be delivered to him. So the girl, nicknamed Casanova O-Morphy (“Beauty”), settles in Deer Park for two years. Having parted with her, the king marries her to one of his officers. A son of his time, Casanova has a wide variety of knowledge, including Kabbalistic knowledge. With their help, he cures the Duchess of Chartres from acne, which greatly contributes to his success in society.
In Paris, Dresden, Venice - wherever Casanova is, he makes acquaintances both with the inhabitants of cheerful houses and with all the pretty women that can be found around. And women who have received the attention of the brilliant adventurer are ready to do anything for his love. And the sickly Venetian maiden, having learned the love of Casanova, is even cured of her illness; This girl bewitches the great adventurer so much that he is even ready to marry her. But then the unexpected happens: the Venetian tribunal of the Inquisition arrests Casanova as a disturber of public peace, a conspirator and a “considerable scoundrel.” In addition to denunciations written by jealous men and women, books of spells and instructions on the influence of planets are found in Casanova’s house, which gives grounds to accuse him of witchcraft.
Casanova is sent to Piombi, the Lead Prison. From melancholy and pious books that his jailers slip him, Casanova falls ill. The doctor called by the warden orders the prisoner to overcome his melancholy. Casanova decides, risking his life, to gain his freedom: “Either I will be killed, or I will see the matter through to the end.” However, a lot of time passes from the idea to its implementation. Casanova barely manages to make a sharp stiletto and dig a hole in the floor before he is transferred to another cell. The warden discovers traces of his work, but the inventive adventurer manages to intimidate the jailer by threatening to expose him to his superiors as his accomplice. Wanting to appease the prisoner, the warden allows him to exchange books with other prisoners. Hiding messages in book bindings, Casanova begins a correspondence with Padre Bagli, who is in prison for a dissolute lifestyle. The monk turns out to be an active person, and since Casanova needs an assistant, he enlists his support. After making holes in the ceilings of their cells and then in the lead roof, Casanova and Balbi escape from prison. Once free, they strive to leave the Venetian Republic as quickly as possible. Casanova has to part with his companion in misfortune, who has become a burden for him, and, not connected with anything or anyone, he rushes to the border. And now Casanova is back in Paris; He faces an important task - to replenish his wallet, which has become fairly thin during his stay in prison. He invites interested parties to organize a lottery. And since “there is no other place in the world where it would be so easy to fool people,” he manages to get all possible benefits from this enterprise. He does not forget about the corrupt beauties and noble fans of his various talents. His new friend La Tour d'Auvergne suddenly falls ill; Casanova, declaring that he was possessed by a damp spirit, undertakes to heal him by applying the seal of Solomon, and draws a five-pointed star on his thigh. Six days later, La Tour d'Auvergne is back on its feet. He introduces Casanova to the venerable Marchioness d'Urfe, who is passionately interested in occult sciences. The Marquise has a wonderful collection of manuscripts of great alchemists; in her house she has set up a real laboratory where something is constantly evaporated and distilled. The “glorious adventurer” Count de Saint-Germain, a brilliant storyteller, scientist, “an excellent musician, an excellent chemist, and good-looking,” often dines with Madame d’Urfe. Together with the Marchioness Casanova, Jean-Jacques Rousseau pays a visit; however, famous philosopher does not make the expected impression on them: “neither his appearance nor his mind were striking in their originality.”
Wanting to find a permanent income, Casanova, at the suggestion of a certain projector, opens a manufactory. But she brings him only losses: being carried away by young workers, Casanova takes a new girl every three days, generously rewarding her predecessor. Having abandoned the unprofitable enterprise, Casanova leaves for Switzerland, where, as usual, he alternates sublime communication with the best minds of the era with love adventures. In Geneva, Casanova talks several times with the great Voltaire. Further his path lies to Marseille. There he is overtaken by Mrs. D'Urfe, who is eager to perform a magical rite of rebirth, which only Casanova can perform. And since this ritual consists mainly in the fact that Casanova must make love to the elderly marquise, in order to get out of the situation with dignity, he takes a certain young beauty as an assistant. Having worked hard and completed the ritual, Casanova leaves Marseille.
The journey continues. From London, where Casanova did not like it, he heads to the German principalities. In Wolfenbüttel he spends all his time in the library, in Braunschweig he indulges in amorous pleasures, and in Berlin he has an audience with King Frederick. Then his path lies to Russia - through Riga to St. Petersburg. Everywhere Casanova becomes acquainted with interest in customs and morals that are unusual for him. In St. Petersburg he observes the baptism of infants in ice water, goes to the bathhouse, attends palace balls and even buys himself a serf girl, who turns out to be unusually jealous. From the northern capital, Casanova travels to Moscow, because, in his words, “whoever has not seen Moscow has not seen Russia.” In Moscow he inspects everything: “factories, churches, ancient monuments, collections of rarities, libraries.” Returning to St. Petersburg, Casanova moves around the court and meets with Empress Catherine II, who finds the opinions of the Italian traveler very entertaining. Before leaving Russia, Casanova throws a party with fireworks for his Russian friends. Casanova is again drawn to Paris, his path runs through Warsaw... and everything continues - intrigues, scams, love adventures...
On April 2, 1725, Giacomo Casanova was born - one of the most prominent historical heroes Renaissance. He became famous not so much for his love affairs as for his extraordinary personality and adventurous spirit.
During his life, Casanova managed to be a church official, a lawyer, a military man, a musician, an assistant, a spy, a writer and even a librarian.
False nobleman
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova was born in Venice on April 2, 1725 in the family of actor and dancer Gaetano Giuseppe Casanova and actress Zanetta Farussi. In order to move in high society, Giacomo appropriated to himself noble title and the name is Chevalier de Sengalt.
17 year old genius
At the age of only 12, Casanova entered the University of Padua. At 17, he already had a law degree. However, Giacomo himself always wanted to become a doctor. He even prescribed his own medications for himself and his friends.
Gambler
While still studying at the university, Casanova began gambling for money and quickly found himself in debt. At the age of twenty-one, he decided to become a professional gambler, but lost all his savings.
Casanova played throughout his entire career conscious life, winning and losing large sums of money. He was trained by professionals, and he could not always overcome the desire to cheat. At times, Casanova teamed up with other swindlers to make money.
As Casanova himself explained his addiction in his memoirs: “Greed forced me to play. I loved spending money, and my heart bled when the money was not won at cards.”
Mason and sorcerer
As a child, Casanova suffered from nosebleeds and his grandmother took him to a local witch. And although the “magic” ointment that the witch gave to Casanova turned out to be ineffective, the boy was delighted with the mystery of magic. Later, Giacomo himself would demonstrate “magical” abilities, which were in fact ordinary tricks. In Paris, he posed as an alchemist, which gained him popularity among the most prominent figures of the time, including the Marquise de Pompadour, the Comte of Saint-Germain, d'Alembert and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
During his trip to France in Lyon, Casanova became a member of the Masonic society, which attracted him with its secret rituals. People with intelligence and influence were accepted into society, which later turned out to be very useful for Casanova: he received valuable contacts and access to secret knowledge.
Inquisition and prison break
Due to his involvement in Masonic lodges and interest in the occult, Casanova attracted the attention of the Inquisition. In 1755, Giacomo was arrested and sentenced to five years in Piombi - the "Prison of Lead".
An apostate priest from a nearby cell helped him escape from prison. Using an iron pike, they and Casanova made a hole in the ceiling and climbed onto the roof of the prison. They lowered themselves from the roof using a rope made from sheets.
Some historians believe that in fact Giacomo was helped to pay off by one of his wealthy patrons. However, the state archives preserve some confirmation of the adventurer’s story, including information about the repair of the ceiling of the cells.
Inventor of the lottery
Having escaped from prison to Paris, Casanova had to find a means of subsistence. Then he came up with the idea of raising money for the state using the first national lottery. The tickets sold out successfully, and Giacomo gained popularity and earned enough money to once again shine in the world.
Spy
The French Foreign Minister de Berny, who was an old friend of Casanova, sent him on a spy mission to Dunkirk in 1757. Giacomo completed the task brilliantly, gaining the trust of the captains and officers of the fleet. He found out information about the structure of ships and their weak points.
Respectable Librarian
Casanova's last years were spent at Dux Castle in Bohemia (Czech Republic), where he worked as a library keeper for Count Joseph Karl von Wallstein.
The loneliness and boredom of the last years of his life allowed Casanova to concentrate, without distraction, on his memoirs, entitled “The Story of My Life.” If it were not for this work, his fame would have been much less or the memory of him would have disappeared completely.
How many women did Casanova have?
Giacomo Casanova is known as a seducer and conqueror of women's hearts. In his memoirs, he does not name the exact number of mistresses, rounding the figure to several hundred. A researcher of Casanova's biography, Spaniard Juancho Cruz, calculated that Giacomo had 132 women, that is, about three novels a year. By today's standards, this may seem like a very modest result to some.
However, Casanova became famous for his art of seduction, flirtation and the passion with which he indulged in love. Relationships with women were the meaning of his life. He saw something special in each lover. Most of all, Casanova loved Italian women. His mistresses were usually between 16 and 20 years old. By social origin, most of them were maids, but many of those seduced belonged to the highest circles of society.
The request for "Casanova" is redirected here; see also other meanings.
| Giacomo Casanova | |
| Giacomo Casanova | |
| Portrait of Giacomo Casanova (Francesco Casanova, c. 1750) | |
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Giacomo Galvan Girolamo Casanova buren |
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writer, poet, librarian, banker And author |
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Italy |
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Duchcov Castle, Czech Republic |
| Giacomo Casanova on Wikimedia Commons | |
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova(Italian: Giacomo Girolamo Casanova), Chevalier de Sengalt (April 2, 1725, Venice - June 4, 1798, Dux Castle, Bohemia) - famous Italian adventurer, traveler and writer, author of a detailed autobiography “The Story of My Life” (French. Histoire de ma vie). Thanks to this book, he became so famous for his numerous love affairs that his very name became a household name and is now used to mean “female seducer.” According to his memoirs, Casanova met with European monarchs, popes, cardinals and such outstanding figures of the Enlightenment as Voltaire, Mozart and Goethe. He spent his last years in Bohemia, being keeper of the library in the castle of Count Wallenstein; it was there that he wrote the story of his life.
Biography
early years
Via della Commedia (currently Via Malipiero)
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova was born in Venice on Easter April 2, 1725 in a house on Via della Commedia (now Via Malipiero), not far from the Church of St. Samuel, where he was baptized. He was the first-born in the family of actor and dancer Gaetano Giuseppe Casanova and actress Zanetta Farussi. He had five siblings: Francesco Giuseppe (1727-1803), Giovanni Battista (1730-1795), Faustina Maddalena (1731-1736), Maria Maddalena Antonia Stella (1732-1800) and Gaetano Alviso (1734-1783). At that time, the Republic of Venice was considered the European “capital of pleasure”, since its rulers, being political and religious conservatives, were still tolerant of social vices and encouraged tourism. Venice was considered mandatory place visits on the Grand Tour made by young aristocrats, especially the English. The famous Carnival, gambling houses and beautiful courtesans had great attractive power. This environment nurtured Casanova and made him one of the most famous Venetians of the 18th century.
Venice. Church of St. Samuel, where Casanova was baptized
During his childhood, Casanova was raised by his grandmother, Marcia Baldissera, while his mother toured Europe with the theater. His father died when Giacomo was eight years old. As a child, Casanova suffered from nosebleeds, and Marcia turned to a witch for help: “Leaving the gondola, we entered the barn, where we found an old woman sitting on a straw mattress with a black cat in her arms, with five or six other cats around her.” . Although the ointment she used turned out to be ineffective, the boy was delighted with the mystery of witchcraft. Perhaps to cure the bleeding, the cause of which, according to doctors, was the increased density of the air in Venice, on his ninth birthday Giacomo was sent to a boarding house located in Padua, at a greater distance from the coast. This event became a bitter memory for Casanova, who perceived it as neglect from his parents. “So they got rid of me,” he complains.
The conditions in the boarding house were terrible, so the boy asked to be placed in the care of Abbot Gozzi, his first teacher, who taught him science and playing the violin. In 1734, Giacomo moved in with the priest and lived with him and his family until 1737. Gozzi's house became the place where Casanova, at the age of eleven, had his first contact with the opposite sex, when Bettina, Gozzi's younger sister, caressed him: Bettina was “beautiful, cheerful, keen on reading novels... I immediately liked the girl, although I did not quite understand , Why. It was she who gradually kindled in my heart the first sparks of that feeling, which later became my main passion.” Bettina later married, but Casanova remained attached to her and the Gozzi family throughout his life.
Casanova early showed a sharp and inquisitive mind and a gigantic thirst for knowledge. In November 1737, when he was only twelve years old, he entered the University of Padua and graduated at the age of seventeen, in June 1742, receiving academic degree lawyer, “for whom... I felt an insurmountable disgust.” His trustee hoped that he would become a church lawyer. Casanova also studied ethics, chemistry, mathematics, and, in addition, showed a genuine interest in medicine: “It would be better if I were allowed to do what I wanted and become a doctor, for whom professional quackery is even more suitable than in legal practice" He often prescribed his own medications for himself and his friends. While studying, Casanova began gambling for money and quickly found himself in debt, as a result of which he was summoned to Venice, where he had an unpleasant conversation with his grandmother; but the habit of playing was firmly rooted in him.
Upon his return to Venice, Casanova began a career as a church lawyer, working for the lawyer Manzoni, and after taking monastic vows he was ordained a novice by the Patriarch of Venice (January 1741). While continuing his university studies, he traveled to Padua and back. By that time he had already become a real dandy: he was dark-eyed, dark and tall, with powdered, perfumed and carefully curled long black hair. He quickly acquired a patron (as he did throughout his life), the 76-year-old Venetian senator Alviso Gasparo Malipiero, owner of the Palazzo Malipiero (next to Casanova's house in Venice). The senator, who moved in high circles, taught Casanova how to behave in society and understand good food and wine. But when Casanova was caught flirting with actress Teresa Imer, whom Malipiero himself wanted to seduce, the latter kicked both of them out of his house. Casanova's growing curiosity about women led him to have his first sexual experiences with two sisters, Nanette and Maria Savorian, aged fourteen and sixteen, who were distant relatives of the Grimani family. Casanova stated that his calling in life was finally determined after that first experience.
Beginning of adulthood
Scandals marred Casanova's short career in the church. After the death of his grandmother (March 18, 1743), Casanova briefly entered the seminary of St. Cyprian in Murano, but already in April 1743, debts for the first time brought him to prison - Fort St. Andrey. His mother tried to secure a place for him under Bishop Bernardo de Bernardis, but Casanova rejected this offer almost immediately after visiting the Calabrian diocese. Instead, he took a job in Rome as secretary to the influential Cardinal Troiano Acquaviva d'Aragona (January 1744). At a meeting with the pope, Giacomo boldly asked the high priest for permission to read “forbidden books” and be exempted from the requirement to eat fish during Lent, claiming that such food caused his eyes to become inflamed. Casanova also helped another cardinal, composing love letters for him. But when Casanova became a scapegoat in a scandal involving a pair of unhappy lovers, Cardinal Acquaviva fired Casanova, thanking him for his good deed, but thereby ending his ecclesiastical career forever.
Looking for new sphere Casanova's activities bought a patent from an officer of the Venetian Republic. First of all, he took care to look appropriate:
Realizing that I was now unlikely to succeed in the field of the church, I decided to try on the clothes of a soldier... I asked for a good tailor... he brought me everything I needed to become an incarnate follower of Mars... My uniform was white, with a blue front and silver and gold epaulettes... I bought a long saber, and with my elegant cane in my hand, in an elegant hat with a black cockade, with sideburns and a false tail, I intended to impress the whole city
In August 1744, he joined the officers of the Venetian regiment of the island of Corfu, from where he made a short trip to Constantinople, ostensibly with the aim of delivering a letter there from his former master, the cardinal. He found his promotion too slow, his duties boring, and managed to spend most of his salary playing Pharaoh. In October 1745, Casanova interrupted his military career and returned to Venice.
At the age of twenty-one, he decided to become a professional gambler, but, having lost all the money left over from the sale of his officer position, he turned to his old benefactor Alviso Grimani for help in search of work. Casanova begins his "third career", already at the Teatro San Samuele, as a violinist, "a servant of the highest art, admired by those who have succeeded and despised by mediocrity." He recalled: “My occupation was not noble, but I did not care. Calling everything prejudice, I soon acquired all the habits of my degraded fellow musicians.” He and some of his colleagues “often spent ... nights rowdy in different quarters of the city, inventing the most scandalous pranks and executing them ... amused themselves by untying gondolas moored at private houses, which were then carried away by the current.” They also sent midwives and doctors on false calls.
Palazzo Bragadin - residence of Casanova's patron and adoptive father
Fortune smiled again on Casanova, dissatisfied with his fate as a musician, after he saved the life of the Venetian senator Giovanni di Matteo Bragadin, who had a stroke while returning from a wedding ball in the same gondola with Casanova. They immediately stopped to perform a bloodletting on the senator. Then, already in the senator's palace, the doctor repeated the bloodletting and applied mercury ointment to the patient's chest (at that time, mercury, despite its toxic properties, was considered a universal medicine). This led to a severe fever, and Bragadin began to choke due to a swollen trachea. A priest had already been called, as death seemed inevitable. However, Casanova took the initiative into his own hands, changing the course of treatment and ordering, despite the protests of the doctor present, to remove the mercury ointment from the senator's chest and wash it with cold water. The senator recovered from his illness thanks to rest and healthy food. Since in at a young age Giacomo had medical knowledge, the senator and two of his friends decided that such a young man, wise beyond his years, should receive occult knowledge (all three were Kabbalists). The senator adopted Casanova and became his lifelong patron.
Casanova wrote in his memoirs:
I have adopted the most praiseworthy, noble and only natural way of life. I decided to put myself in a position where I would not have to deprive myself of basic necessities. And no one could judge what exactly I needed better than me... No one in Venice could understand how there could be a close connection between me and three respected people: they, so exalted, and I, so down to earth, they, the most strict in their morality, and I, leading a dissolute lifestyle.
Casanova spent the next three years (from December 1745) under the patronage of the senator, formally listed as his referent. He lived like a nobleman, dressed magnificently and, as was natural for him, spent most of his time gambling and immoral acts. His patron was overly tolerant, but warned Giacomo that retribution for such licentiousness would eventually come; but he only “made fun of his terrible prophecies without changing his lifestyle.” However, the adopted son of the senator still had to leave Venice due to even greater scandals. Casanova decided to take revenge on his enemy by playing a prank on him, and to do this he dug up the corpse of a recently buried man - but the victim of the prank was incurably paralyzed. In another case, a girl tricked him into accusing him of rape and contacted the authorities. Casanova was later acquitted due to lack of evidence of his guilt, but by that time he had already fled Venice: he was charged with theft, blasphemy and witchcraft (January 1749).
Retiring to Parma, Casanova began a three-month affair with a French woman, whom he called “Henrietta.” Apparently this was the most strong love, which he had ever experienced: this lady combined beauty, intelligence, and good upbringing. According to him, “those who believe that a woman cannot make a man happy twenty-four hours a day never knew Henrietta. The joy that filled my soul was much greater during the day when I talked to her than at night when she was in my arms. Being very well read and possessing innate taste, Henrietta judged everything correctly.” She judged Casanova just as shrewdly. Renowned Casanova scholar J. Rives Childs wrote:
Probably no woman captured Casanova as much as Henrietta; few women had such a deep understanding of him. She penetrated his outer shell at the very beginning of their relationship, resisting the temptation to join her destiny with his. She unraveled his fickle nature, his lack of noble birth, and the unreliability of his finances. Before leaving, she slipped five hundred louis into his pocket - a sign of her appreciation of Casanova.
Portrait of Casanova by Venetian painter Alessandro Longhi
Grand Tour
Casanova spent the entire year 1749 traveling around Italy (Milan, Mantua, Cesena, Parma). In despondency and despair, he returned to the Venetian Republic, but, having won a big jackpot at cards, he revived in spirit and set off on the Grand Tour, reaching Paris in 1750. Along the way, following from one city to another, he got involved in amorous adventures reminiscent of opera plots. In Lyon, he became a member of the Masonic society, which attracted him with its secret rituals. Society attracted people with intelligence and influence, which later turned out to be very useful for Casanova: he received valuable contacts and access to hidden knowledge. He also joined the Order of the Rose and Cross.
Casanova stayed in Paris for two years, spending most of his time in the theater and learning French. He made acquaintances with representatives of the Parisian aristocracy. But soon his numerous love affairs were noticed by the police (as was the case in almost every city he visited).
Casanova translated Cahuzac's tragedy Zoroaster from French into Italian, and in February 1752 it was staged at the Royal Theater of Dresden (Italian troupe). In Dresden he met his mother, brother and sister. From the autumn of 1752 to May 1753, Giacomo traveled throughout Germany and Austria. At this time, he composed his own comedies “The Thessalians, or Harlequin at the Sabbath” and “Moluccaid” (in three acts, now lost). The latter was played at the Royal Theater Dresden on February 22, 1753 and was well received by the public. He did not like the stricter moral atmosphere of Vienna and Prague. In 1753, he returned to Venice, where he resumed his antics, thereby making many enemies and attracting the attention of the Inquisition. His police record became a growing list of blasphemies, seductions, fights and quarrels in public places. State spy Giovanni Manucci was brought in to find out about Casanova's relationship with Kabbalism, his involvement in Freemasonry, and the presence of prohibited books in his library. Senator Bragadin, himself a former inquisitor, strongly advised his adopted son to leave immediately to avoid the most serious consequences.
Prison and escape
Piombi Prison
The next day, July 26, 1755 (at the age of thirty), Casanova was arrested: “The tribunal, having learned of the serious crimes committed publicly by G. Casanova against the holy faith, decided to arrest him and place him in Piombi ( "Lead Prison")". This prison consisted of seven cells on the top floor of the eastern wing of the Doge's Palace and was intended for high-ranking prisoners and political criminals. It got its name from the lead slabs that covered the roof of the palace. Casanova was sentenced without trial to five years in prison, from which there had never been a single escape. According to Casanova's memoirs, significant evidence of his guilt was that the book of the Zohar (Zekor-ben) and other books on magic were found in his possession.
He was in solitary confinement, with clothes, a mattress, a table and a chair, in “the worst of all cells”, where he suffered terribly from darkness, summer heat and “millions of fleas”. He was soon placed with other prisoners, and after five months and a personal petition from Count Bragadin, he was given a warm winter bed and a monthly allowance to buy books and good food. While walking around the prison yard, he found a piece of black marble and an iron rod, which he was able to carry into his cell. He hid the rod inside the chair. Temporarily without cellmates, Casanova sharpened this rod on a stone for two weeks and turned it into a pike (esponton). He then began to hammer away at the wooden floor under his bed, knowing that his cell was directly above the inquisitor's office. Casanova planned his escape during the carnival, when none of the employees were supposed to be in the office below him. But just three days before the scheduled date, despite his protests and assurances that he was completely happy where he was all this time, Casanova was transferred to a larger, bright cell with a window. Here’s what he wrote later about how he felt: “I sat in my chair, as if struck by thunder, and motionless as a statue, realizing that all my work had gone to waste, but I had nothing to repent of. My hope was taken away, and I could not give myself any relief other than not to think about what would happen to me next.”
Overcoming his despair, Casanova developed a new escape plan. He secretly contacted a prisoner from a neighboring cell, Father Balbi (an apostate priest), and agreed with him for help. Casanova managed to give Balbi a pike hidden in the Bible, on which the fooled jailer placed a dish of pasta. Father Balbi made a hole in the ceiling of his cell, climbed up and made a hole in the ceiling of Casanova's cell. To neutralize his new cellmate-spy, Casanova took advantage of his superstitions and thereby forced him into silence. When Balbi made a hole in the ceiling of his cell, Casanova climbed out through it, leaving a note quoting Psalm 117 (according to the Vulgate): “I will not die, but will live and proclaim the works of the Lord.”
Casanova's escape from Piombi prison in the Doge's Palace
The spy remained inside, too afraid of the consequences if he were caught with the others. Casanova and Balbi climbed through the lead slabs onto the roof of the Doge's Palace, shrouded in thick fog. Because the roof was too high above the nearby canal, the fugitives entered the building through a dormer window, breaking the grating above it and smashing it. On the roof they found a long ladder, and with the help of a rope that Casanova had previously made from a sheet, they descended into a room whose floor was seven and a half meters below them. Here they rested until the next morning, and then changed clothes, picked the lock on the exit door, walked past the galleries and rooms along the corridor of the palace and went down the steps. Downstairs, they convinced the guard that they had been mistakenly locked in the palace after the end of the working day, and left through the last door. It was six o'clock in the morning on November 1, 1756, when they took a gondola and sailed to the mainland. Eventually Casanova arrived in Paris. It happened on January 5, 1757, the very day that Robert-François Damiens committed unsuccessful attempt to Louis XV. Later Casanova saw and described cruel execution intruder.
Skeptics argue that Casanova's escape was incredible and that he won his freedom through bribery with the help of his patron. However, the state archives preserve some confirmation of the adventurer’s story, including information about the repair of the ceiling of the cells. Thirty years later, Casanova wrote “The Story of My Escape,” which gained great popularity and was translated into many languages. He repeated the description of this event in his memoirs. Casanova’s judgment about this feat is characteristic:
Thus the Lord prepared for me everything necessary for my escape, which was to be, if not a miracle, then an event worthy of surprise. I confess that I am proud that I ran; but my pride comes not from the fact that I managed to do this - there is a large share of luck here, but from the fact that I considered it feasible and had the courage to bring my plan to fruition.
Back in Paris
He knew that his stay in Paris could be prolonged, and therefore began to act in accordance with the circumstances: “I saw: in order to succeed, I must put all my talents, physical and spiritual, on the line, make acquaintance with people of dignity and influence, always control myself, adopt the opinions of those whom I see will need to please.” Casanova became a mature man, and this time in Paris he was more calculating and cautious, although at times he still relied on his decisive actions and quick thinking. His first task was to find a new patron. This was his old friend de Berni, now the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France. De Berni advised Casanova to find ways to raise money for the state in order to quickly succeed. Very soon, Giacomo became one of the managers of the first state lottery and the best seller of its tickets (the first draw of the lottery took place on April 18, 1758). This enterprise immediately brought him significant benefits. Having money, he became a member of high society and began new romances. With his occultism, he fooled many noble gentlemen, especially the Marquise Jeanne d'Urfe: his excellent memory allowed him to introduce himself as an expert in numerology. From Casanova's point of view, "deceiving a fool is an act worthy of an intelligent man."
Casanova declared himself a Rosicrucian and alchemist, which earned him popularity among the most prominent figures of the time, including the Marquise de Pompadour, the Comte of Saint-Germain, d'Alembert and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Alchemy, and especially the quest for the philosopher's stone, was so popular among the aristocracy that Casanova's renowned knowledge was in great demand, and he made good money from it. However, he met a competitor in the person of Count Saint-Germain: “This unusual person, a born deceiver, without any embarrassment, as if it were something taken for granted, said that he was three hundred years old, and he had a panacea for all diseases, that nature had no secrets from him, and he knew how to melt diamonds from ten to twelve make small ones into one big one, of the same weight and, moreover, of the purest water.”
De Berni decided to send Casanova to Dunkirk on a spy mission (August-September 1757). Giacomo was well paid for his short work, which led him subsequently to make one of the few comments against the old regime and the class on which his own well-being depended. Looking back, he remarked: “All French ministers are the same. They squandered money taken from other people's pockets in order to enrich themselves, and their power was unlimited: people from the lower classes were considered as nothing, and the inevitable results of this were the debts of the state and the disorder of finances. The revolution was necessary."
With the outbreak of the Seven Years' War, Giacomo was again asked for help in replenishing the treasury. He was entrusted with the mission of selling government bonds in Amsterdam, since Holland was at that time financial center Europe. He managed to sell the bonds at a discount of only eight percent (October - December 1758), and his earnings allowed him to establish a silk manufactory the following year. The French government even promised him a title and a pension if he accepted French citizenship and began working for the Ministry of Finance, but Casanova rejected this flattering offer - perhaps because it would interfere with his passion for travel. Casanova reached the apogee of his destiny, but could not stay there. He mismanaged his business, went into debt trying to save it, and spent most of his fortune on incessant affairs with the female workers of his manufactory, whom he called his “harem.”
For debts, Casanova was again arrested and this time imprisoned in Forlevek prison, but was released from it four days later thanks to the intercession of the Marquise d'Urfe. Unfortunately for Giacomo, his patron de Berni had by that time been dismissed by Louis XV, and Casanova's enemies began to persecute him. In an effort to distance himself from these troubles, the adventurer sold the remainder of his property and achieved his second exile for espionage purposes to Holland, where he departed on December 1, 1759.
On the run
However, this time his mission failed, and he fled to Cologne and then (in the spring of 1760) to Stuttgart, where his luck finally ran out. He was arrested again for debt, but was able to escape to Switzerland. Tired of his dissolute life, Casanova visited the monastery in Einsiedeln, where he thought about the possibility of changing his lot and becoming a modest, highly educated monk. He returned to the hotel to reflect on his intentions, but there he met a new object of desire, and all his good thoughts about the monastic life immediately disappeared, giving way to his usual instincts. Continuing his wanderings, he visited Albrecht von Haller and Voltaire (the latter twice), then visited Marseilles, Genoa, Florence, Rome, Naples, Modena and Turin, starting love adventures along the way.
In 1760, Casanova began calling himself "Chevalier de Sengalt" - a name he would increasingly use for the rest of his life. He sometimes introduced himself as Comte de Farussi (after his mother's maiden name), and since Pope Clement XIII awarded him the Order of the Golden Spur and the title of papal prothonotary, he wore an impressive-looking cross on a ribbon on his chest.
In 1762, returning to Paris, he started his most outrageous scam - convincing his old victim, the Marquise d'Urfe, that he could use occult powers to turn her into a young man. However, this plan did not bring Casanova the expected profit, and the Marquise d’Urfe finally lost faith in him.
In June 1763, Casanova went to England, hoping to sell the idea of a state lottery to its authorities. About the English he writes this way: “these people have a special quality inherent in the whole nation, which makes them consider themselves above all others. This belief is common to all nations, each of which considers itself the best. And they are all right." Relying on his connections and spending most of the jewelry he had stolen from the Marquise d'Urfe, he obtained an audience with King George III. "Processing" politicians, Casanova, as usual, did not forget about his amorous adventures. Not speaking English properly, but wanting to find women for his pleasure, he placed an advertisement in the newspaper asking for a “decent man” to rent an apartment. He interviewed many young women until he settled on “Mrs. Polina,” who suited him. Soon Casanova moved into her apartment and seduced the hostess. Numerous intimate relationships gave him venereal disease, and in March 1764, being accused of fraud, Giacomo, broke and sick, left England.
Casanova went to Belgium, where he recovered from his illness and came to his senses. Over the next three years, he traveled around Europe, traveling about 4,500 miles in a carriage along bad roads and reaching Moscow and St. Petersburg (on average, the carriage could travel up to 30 miles per day). Once again, his main goal was to sell his lottery scheme to other governments, repeating the great success that this idea had in France. But the meeting with Frederick the Great (August 1764) brought him nothing, as well as visits to other German lands. In 1765, useful contacts and confidence in the success of his plan led Casanova to Russia, to Catherine the Great, but the empress categorically rejected the idea of a lottery.
In 1766 he was expelled from Warsaw after a pistol duel (March 5, 1766) with Colonel Count Branicki over an Italian actress who was a friend of both. Both duelists were wounded, Casanova in the left arm. The arm healed on its own after Casanova rejected doctors' recommendations to amputate it. Wherever he went, he was never able to find a buyer for his lottery. In 1767 he was forced to leave Vienna (for cheating). That same year, having returned to Paris for several months, he fell into gambling, but this trip also ended in failure: in November he was expelled from France by personal order of Louis XV (mainly because of his scam with the Marquise d'Urfe). Now that the notoriety of his reckless behavior had spread throughout Europe, it was already difficult for him to overcome it and achieve success. So he headed to Spain, where almost no one knew about him. He tried his usual approach, relying on his contacts (mainly among the Freemasons), drinking and dining with dignitaries and eventually trying to gain an audience with the monarch, in in this case, at the king's Charles III. But having achieved nothing, he was forced to travel around Spain unsuccessfully (1768). He was nearly killed in Barcelona and ended up in prison for six weeks. There he wrote “A Refutation of the “History of the Venetian State” by Amelo de la Houssaye.” Having failed in his Spanish tour, he returns to France and then to Italy (1769).
Return to Venice
Alleged portrait of Giacomo Casanova, attributed to the brush of Francesco Narici
Casanova lived in several cities in Italy. He recalled: “At the beginning of April 1770, I decided to try my luck and go to Livorno to offer my services to Count Alexei Orlov, who commanded the squadron that was heading to Constantinople.” But Count Orlov refused his help, and Giacomo left for Rome.
In Rome, Casanova had to prepare his return to Venice. While waiting for his supporters to obtain permission for him to enter, Casanova began translating the Iliad into Italian, writing a book, The History of the Troubles in Poland, and a comedy. He is accepted into literary academies - Arcadian and Accademia degli Infecondi(1771). In December 1771 he was exiled to Florence, from where he moved to Trieste. To ingratiate himself with the Venetian authorities, Casanova engaged in commercial espionage for them. However, after waiting several months without receiving permission to enter, he wrote directly to the inquisitors. Finally, the long-awaited permission was sent, and, bursting into tears with excitement, Giacomo read: “We, the state inquisitors, for reasons known to us, give Giacomo Casanova freedom ... giving him the right to come, leave, stop and return, to have connections wherever he pleases without permission and interference. This is our will." Casanova was allowed to return to Venice in September 1774, after eighteen years of exile.
At first he was warmly received and became a celebrity. Even the inquisitors wanted to know how he managed to escape from their prison. Of his three patrons, only Dandolo was still alive, and Casanova was invited to live with him. He received a small allowance from Dandolo and hoped to live by selling his writings, but this was not enough. And he reluctantly continued to engage in espionage for the government of Venice. His reports were paid by the piece and covered issues of religion, morality and commerce; for the most part they were based on rumors and gossip received from acquaintances. He was disappointed because he did not see attractive financial prospects for himself, and few doors were open to him - just as in the past.
When Giacomo turned forty-nine, his appearance showed features that spoke of years of reckless living and thousands of miles traveled. The pockmarks, sunken cheeks and hooked nose became more and more noticeable. His cheeky manner became more restrained. Prince Charles-Joseph de Ligne, Casanova's friend (and uncle of his future employer), described him around 1784:
He would have been handsome if he had not been ugly: tall, built like Hercules, dark complexion; His lively eyes, full of intelligence, always show resentment, anxiety or anger, and that is why he seems fierce. It is easier to anger him than to amuse him; he rarely laughs, but loves to make him laugh; his speeches are entertaining and funny, they have something of the clown Harlequin and Figaro.
Original text(French)
Ce serait un bien bel homme s’il n’était pas laid; il est grand, bâti en Hercule, mais a un teint africain; des yeux vifs, pleins d'esprit à la vérité, mais qui annoncent toujours la susceptibilité, l'inquiétude ou la rancune, lui donnent un peu l'air féroce, plus facile à être mis en colère qu'en gaieté. Il rit peu, mais il fait rire. Il a une manière de dire les choses qui tient de l’Arlequin balourd et du Figaro, ce qui le rend très plaisant.
Venice has changed for Casanova. Now he had little money to gamble with, few worthwhile women to want him, few acquaintances to enliven his dull days. News of his mother's death reached him (in Dresden in November 1776). He experienced even more bitter feelings when he visited the dying Bettina Gozzi: the woman who had once introduced him to intimate caresses now died in his arms. His Iliad was published in three volumes (1775-1778), but to a limited number of subscribers, and brought in little money. Casanova started a public dispute with Voltaire about religion, publishing “Reflections on “Letters of Praise to Mr. Voltaire.” When he asked: “Suppose you succeed in destroying superstition. What will you replace it with? - Voltaire replied: “I like it so much!” When I free humanity from the ferocious monster that devours it, will they really ask me what I will replace it with? From Casanova's point of view, if Voltaire "was a true philosopher, he should have remained silent on this subject... the people must remain ignorant in order to preserve general peace in the country".
Casanova's final resting place in Venice
In 1779, Casanova met Francesca Buschini, an uneducated seamstress, who became his housewife and fell in love with him. In the same year, the inquisitors assigned him a permanent salary, giving him the task of investigating trade between the Papal States and Venice. His other ventures related to the publication of his works and theatrical performances, failed - mainly due to lack of funds. To make matters worse, in January 1783, Casanova had to leave Venice again, having been warned that he was in danger of being officially exiled or imprisoned because of a bilious satire he had written satirizing the Venetian patricians (chiefly Carlo Grimani, who had acted dishonestly in towards Giacomo). This work contains the author's only public admission that his real father may have been the Venetian patrician Michele Grimani (believed to be the father of his abuser Carlo).
Forced to resume his travels, Casanova arrived in Paris, and in November 1783, during a report on aeronautics, he met with Benjamin Franklin. From February 1784 to April 1785, Casanova served as secretary to Sebastian Foscarini, the Venetian ambassador in Vienna. He also met Lorenzo da Ponte, Mozart's librettist, who wrote of Casanova: "this extraordinary man never liked to be in an awkward position." Casanova's notes indicate that he may have given Da Ponte advice regarding the libretto of Mozart's Don Giovanni.
Last years in Bohemia
Casanova in March 1788 at the age of 62. Medallion used as frontispiece for the edition of Icozameron in the same year, engraved by Johann Berka ( Johann Berka) (1758-c. 1815), Prague
In 1785, after the death of Foscarini, Casanova began to look for another place. A few months later he became caretaker of the library of Count Joseph Karl von Wallstein, the Emperor's chamberlain, at Dux Castle in Bohemia (Duchcovo Castle, Czech Republic). The Count, himself a Freemason, Kabbalist and avid traveler, had become attached to Casanova when they had met a year earlier at the residence of Ambassador Foscarini. Although his service with Count Waldstein provided Casanova with security and a good income, he describes his later years as bringing boredom and disappointment, although they proved to be the most productive for his work. His health deteriorated greatly and he found life among the peasants uninspiring. He could only travel to Vienna and Dresden from time to time for recreation. Although Casanova was on good terms with his employer, he was much younger than him and had his own whims. The Count often ignored him at table and did not introduce him to important guests. Moreover, Casanova, a hot-tempered stranger, aroused strong hostility from the other inhabitants of the castle. It seemed that Giacomo's only friends were his own fox terriers. In despair, Casanova thought about committing suicide, but then decided to live to write down his memoirs, which he did until his death.
In 1797, Casanova received information that the Republic of Venice had ceased to exist and was captured by Napoleon Bonaparte. But it was too late to return home. Casanova died on June 4, 1798, at the age of seventy three years. As they say, his last words were: “I lived as a philosopher and die a Christian.”
Duchtsov Castle in Bohemia, where Casanova lived from 1785
Church of St. Barbarians, where Casanova is buried (Duhtsovsky Castle)
Family
Casanova's mother, Zanetta Maria Casanova, née Farussi (1708-1776), was an actress. The brothers Giacomo Casanova - Francesco (1727-1802 (1803?)) and Giovanni Battista (1732-1795) became famous figures arts Francesco was a landscape painter, and Giovanni Battista studied portraiture and archaeology; his book on ancient art was translated into German. Younger brother, Gaetano Alviso Casanova (1734-1783), was a priest in Genoa. Dresden theater dancer Maria Magdalena Casanova (1732-1800), wife of the court musician Peter August, was Casanova's sister.
Creation
Memoirs
Main article: Memoirs of Casanova
The loneliness and boredom of the last years of his life allowed Casanova, without distraction, to concentrate on his memoirs, entitled “The Story of My Life” (fr. Histoire de ma vie) - without this work, his fame would have been much less if the memory of him had not completely disappeared. Even on the eve of 1780, he decided to write his memoirs. In 1789, he seriously began this work, as “the only medicine so as not to go crazy and not die of melancholy.” The first draft was completed by July 1792, and he revised it for the next six years. He presents the days of his solitude as happy times, writing in his work: “I cannot find a more pleasant pastime than talking to myself about my own activities, choosing from them what can amuse my venerable audience.” His memories only go back to the summer of 1774. At the time of his death the manuscript was still in progress. His letter, dated 1792, shows that he hesitated to publish it because he found the story of his life pathetic and realized that he might make enemies by telling the truth about his adventures. But still, he decided to continue working, using initials instead of full names and softening the most explicit episodes. He wrote in French instead of Italian: “French is more common than my own.”
The memoir opens like this:
I begin by informing my reader that fate has already rewarded me for everything good or bad that I have done during my life, and therefore I have the right to consider myself free... Contrary to the sublime moral principles, inevitably generated by the divine principles rooted in my heart, all my life I remained a slave to my feelings. I took pleasure in losing my way, I constantly lived incorrectly, and my only consolation was that I was aware of my sins... My follies are the follies of youth. You will see that I am laughing at them, and if you are kind, you will laugh at them with me.
Casanova wrote about the purpose of his book:
I hope for friendship, respect and gratitude from my readers. They will be grateful to me if reading these memoirs becomes instructive and gives them pleasure. They will respect me if, having given me justice, they find that I have more virtues than sins; and I will earn their friendship as soon as they see with what sincerity and honesty I submit myself to their judgment, without hiding anything about myself.
He also informs readers that he is not talking about all of his adventures: “I have omitted those that could have offended the people who took part in them, since they would not have appeared in the best light. However, there will be those who think that I am sometimes tactless; and I apologize for that." In the last chapter, the text suddenly breaks off, hinting at undescribed events: “Three years later I met her in Padua, and there I renewed my acquaintance with her daughter in a much more affectionate manner.”
The memoirs cover approximately 3,500 pages in ten volumes (the text's first editor, Jean Laforgue, divided it into twelve volumes). Despite the fact that the chronology of events at times suffers from disorder and inaccuracy, and a number of stories are exaggerated, the main outline of the plot and many details are confirmed in the works of contemporaries. Casanova reproduces dialogue well and writes in detail about all classes of society. Casanova is, for the most part, open about his sins, intentions, and motives, and he treats his successes and failures with humor. His confessions are generally free of regret or remorse. Casanova glorifies sensual pleasures, especially music, food and women. “I have always loved highly spiced food... As for women, I always found that the one I was in love with smelled good, and the more she sweated, the sweeter it seemed to me.” He mentions no less than one hundred and twenty relationships with women and girls, and several times briefly hints at relationships with men. He describes his duels and conflicts with scoundrels and officials, his imprisonments and escapes, intrigues and machinations, torments and sighs of pleasure. He is convincing when he says: “I can tell vixi(I lived).”
The manuscript of the memoirs was kept by Casanova's relatives until it was sold to the publishing house of F. A. Brockhaus. It was first published in a greatly abridged German translation in 1822-1828, and then in French, processed by J. Laforgue. In Laforgue's edition, the descriptions of sexual adventures were significantly reduced (in particular, all homosexual episodes were thrown out of the text), and the political coloring of the memoirs was also changed - from a Catholic and a staunch opponent of the revolution, which Casanova was in reality, he turned into a political and religious freethinker. During World War II, the manuscript survived the Allied bombing of Leipzig. The memoirs have been translated - with copyright infringement - into approximately twenty languages. The complete French original was published only in 1960, and half a century later the National Library of France bought the manuscript and began converting it into digital form.
Other writings
Giacomo Casanova is the author of more than twenty works, including the comedy "Moluccaida", the three-volume "History of the Troubles in Poland", the five-volume utopian novel "Icozameron" - one of the earliest works of science fiction - as well as a number of translations, including Homer's "Iliad" (1775-1778). Of interest are the adventurer's letters and Casanova's original solutions to complex geometric problems.
Relationships with women
For Casanova and his contemporary sybarites from high society, love and intimate relationships were most often casual, not burdened with the seriousness that was characteristic of 19th-century romanticism. Flirting, lovemaking, short-term relationships were commonplace for representatives of the noble class, who married rather for the sake of useful connections rather than out of love.
Casanova (left) checking the integrity of the "safety caps" by inflating. Engraving illustrating Casanova's memoirs (Brussels edition 1872)
Being multifaceted and complex, Casanova’s personality was dominated by sensual passions, as he himself narrates: “Indulging in everything that gave pleasure to my senses has always been the main business of my life; I have never found a more important occupation. Feeling that I was born for the opposite sex, I always loved him and did everything I could to be loved by him.” He mentions that he sometimes used "safety caps", first checking their integrity by inflating, to prevent his mistresses from becoming pregnant.
The ideal relationship for Casanova included not only intimate relationships, but also complex intrigues, heroes and villains, and a gallant parting. In a pattern he often repeated, he found an attractive woman suffering from a rude or jealous lover (Act One); Casanova saves her from difficulty (Act Two); she shows her gratitude; he seduces her; a short-lived, whirlwind romance ensues (Act Three); Feeling the approaching cooling of the ardor of love or boredom, he admits his insolvency and arranges the marriage of his mistress or brings her together with a rich man, leaving the scene after this (Act Four). As William Bolitho notes in Twelve Against God, Casanova's secret to success with women "contained nothing more esoteric than [to offer] what every self-respecting woman demands: all that he had, all that he was, with dazzling a gift of a large sum of money (to compensate for the lack of legality) in lieu of lifelong maintenance.”
Casanova teaches: “There is no such honest woman with an unspoiled heart that a man would not surely win, taking advantage of her gratitude. This is one of the surest and fastest ways.” Alcohol and violence were not decent means of seduction for him. On the contrary, attentiveness, small courtesies and services should be used to soften a woman’s heart, but “a man who speaks of his love in words is a fool.” Verbal communication is necessary - "without words the pleasure of love is reduced by no less than two-thirds" - but words of love must be implied, not pompously announced.
Mutual agreement was important in Casanova's opinion, but he avoided easy victories or overly difficult situations, considering them unsuitable for his purposes. He strived to be the perfect companion - witty, charming, reliable, amiable - in Act One, before moving to the bedroom in Act Three. Casanova states that he did not behave like a predator: "It has never been my rule to direct my attacks against the inexperienced or those whose prejudices would most likely prove an obstacle." However, the women he conquered were mostly in precarious positions or emotionally vulnerable.
Casanova valued a woman’s intelligence: “In the end, a beautiful but stupid woman leaves her lover without entertainment after he has physically enjoyed her attractiveness.” However, his attitude towards educated women was typical of the time: “For a woman, learning is inappropriate; it jeopardizes the basic qualities of her sex... none scientific discovery was not made by women... (it) requires an energy that the female sex does not have. But in simple reasoning and in subtlety of feeling we must give women their due.”
In the introductory article to the Russian edition of Casanova’s memoirs, A. F. Stroev writes:
... Casanova's "Don Juan list" can only amaze the imagination of a very exemplary family man: 122 women in thirty-nine years. Of course, such lists in Stendhal and Pushkin are shorter, and in the famous novels of those years, which were labeled “erotic” (such as the most fascinating “Phoblas” by Louvet de Couvray, 1787-1790), there are fewer heroines, but is that true? Is that a lot - three love affairs a year?
Casanova and gambling
Gambling was a common means of leisure in the social and political circles in which Casanova moved. In his memoirs, he discusses many games of chance in the 18th century, including the lottery, pharaoh, basset, picket, primo, fifteen, whist, biribi, and the passion for them on the part of the aristocracy and clergy. Cheaters were treated with greater tolerance than is the case today, and they were rarely publicly reprimanded. Most players were wary of cheaters and their tricks. All kinds of scams were in use, and Casanova amused himself with them.
Casanova gambled throughout his adult life, winning and losing large sums of money. He was trained by professionals and was "taught those wise maxims without which games of chance crush those who play them." He could not always refuse to cheat and at times even teamed up with professional players to make money. Casanova states that he was "calm and smiling when he lost, and not greedy when he won." However, sometimes he strangely deceived himself, and then his behavior was frantic, even challenging him to a duel. Casanova admits that he lacked the self-control to become a professional gambler: “I lacked the prudence to stop when the odds were against me, and lacked self-control when I won.” He also didn't like being known as a professional: "The professional players can't testify that I was one of their hellish clique." Although Casanova sometimes used the game prudently for his own purposes - to quickly get money, to flirt, make connections, act like a gallant gentleman, or to present himself as an aristocrat in front of high society - he could also play with manic passion and without calculation, especially while in the euphoria of a new love adventure. “Why did I play when I so keenly anticipated losing? Greed made me play. I enjoyed spending money and my heart bled when the money was not won at cards.”
Casanova's reputation and authority
Contemporaries considered Giacomo extraordinary personality, a highly intelligent and inquisitive person. Casanova was one of the outstanding chroniclers of his era. He was a true adventurer who crossed Europe from end to end in search of fortune, an adventurer who, to realize his intentions, met the most outstanding people XVIII century. A servant of those in power, and at the same time a bearer of new aesthetics and morality for his age, he was a member secret societies and searched for truth beyond traditional ideas. Being a religious man, a devout Catholic, he believed in the prayer: “Despair kills; prayer dispels it; after prayer a person believes and acts.” But just like prayer, he believed in free will and reason, and clearly did not agree with the statement that the craving for pleasure would not let him into heaven.
Born into a family of actors, Giacomo had a passion for theater and a theatrical, improvisational life. But for all his talents, he often indulged in the pursuit of entertainment and bodily pleasures, often avoiding stable operation and getting yourself into trouble where you could have succeeded if you acted carefully. His true calling was to live by his resourcefulness, nerves of steel, luck, charm and money received as a token of gratitude or through deception.
Prince Charles-Joseph de Ligne, who understood Casanova well and was familiar with most of the outstanding people of his era, considered him the most interesting person he had ever met: “there was nothing in the world that he was not capable of.” Concluding the portrait of the adventurer, de Ligne testified:
The only things he knew nothing about were those in which he considered himself an expert: the rules of dance, the French language, good taste, the structure of the world, the rules of good manners. Only his comedies are not funny; Only his philosophical works lack philosophy - all the others are filled with it; there is always something weighty, new, spicy, deep. He is a wealth of knowledge, but he quotes Homer and Horace ad nauseum. His mind and his witticisms are like Attic salt. He is sensual and generous, but upset him with anything - and he becomes unpleasant, vindictive and disgusting... He does not believe in anything, but only in the incredible, being superstitious in everything. Fortunately, he has honor and tact... He loves. He wants to get everything... He is proud because he is nothing... Never tell him that you know the story he is going to tell you - pretend that you are hearing it for the first time... Never forget to pay him your respects, otherwise... for this trifle you risk making an enemy. - Charles Joseph de Ligne. Mémoires et mélanges historiques et littéraires, t. 4. - Paris, 1828.
Original text(French)
Il n’y a que les choses qu’il prétend savoir qu’il ne sait pas: les règles de la danse, de la langue française, du goût, de l’usage du monde et du savoir-vivre. Il n’y a que ses comédies qui ne soient pas comiques; il n"y a que ses ouvrages philosophiques où il n'y ait point de philosophie: tous les autres en sont remplis; il y a toujours du trait, du neuf, du piquant et du profond. C'est un puits de science; mais il cite si souvent Homère et Horace, que c'est de quoi en dégoûter. Sa tournure d" esprit et ses saillies sont un extrait de sel attique. Il est sensible et reconnaissant; mais pour peu qu'on lui déplaise, il est méchant, hargneux et détestable... Il ne croit à rien, excepté ce qui est le moins croyable, étant superstitieux sur tout plein d'objets. Heureusement qu'il a de l'honneur et de la délicatesse... Il aime. Il convoite tout... Il est fier, parce qu"il n"est rien et qu"il n"a rien...ne lui dites jamais qui vous savez l"histoire qu"il va vous conter; ayez l"air de l"entendre pour la premiere fois... Ne manquez pas de lui faire la révérence, car un rien vous en fera un ennemi...
It is difficult to imagine a more multifaceted personality than Giacomo Casanova: lawyer and cleric, military man and violinist, swindler and pimp, gourmet and business man, diplomat and spy, politician and doctor, mathematician, philosopher and kabbalist, playwright and writer. His creative heritage includes more than twenty works, including plays and essays, as well as many letters.
Casanova in culture
Casanova is primarily associated with ideas about his love affairs. His name, which has become a household name, is on a par with such literary characters like Don Juan or Casanova’s “contemporaries” - Lovelace and Foblas. Indeed, Casanova’s memoirs, consistent with the philosophy of libertinism, do not shy away from the sexual side of his odyssey, while distorting some facts: for example, research has shown that Casanova’s repeated hints about alleged incest with own daughters, are chronologically improbable. However real personality Casanova is far from being reduced to his erotic escapades; it is much more complex and interesting. In a number of studies at the end of the 20th century, an attempt was made to paint a more holistic image of Casanova - an educated, intelligent, observant and resourceful adventurer.
The extraordinary success of "The Story of My Life", due to the abundance of adventures and amorous adventures unfolding against the backdrop of a panoramic display of the widest strata of European society of the 18th century, turned the figure of Casanova into one of the legends of world culture. Stendhal, G. Heine, A. de Musset, E. Delacroix, Sainte-Beuve were delighted with his memoirs. F. M. Dostoevsky, who published the story of his escape from Piombi, in his editorial introduction he called Casanova one of the most remarkable personalities of his century and highly praised his gift of writing and fortitude: “This is a story about the triumph of human will over insurmountable obstacles”. Characters from such literary works as “The Queen of Spades” by A. S. Pushkin (1833) and “Uncle’s Dream” by F. M. Dostoevsky (1859) talk about Casanova’s notes.
The famous adventurer is the subject of novels by R. Aldington, plays by A. Schnitzler, M. Tsvetaeva, V. Korkiya and A. Lavrin (“Casanova: Lessons of Love”), essays by S. Zweig, R. Vaillant, F. Marceau, a book by F. Sollers "Casanova the Magnificent" (1998).
Casanova is the hero of the operetta by J. Strauss Jr., the opera by Domenic Argento and the song “Casanova in Hell” from the album Fundamental by Pet Shop Boys (2006). Musical composition Casanova in eight scenes for cello and brass band, written by the Dutch composer Johan de Meij, won first prize at international competition composers in Corsica in August 1999.
On the silver screen, the image of an irresistible ladies' man was embodied by Ivan Mozzhukhin (1927), Leonard Whiting (1960), Donald Sutherland (F. Fellini's film 1976), Marcello Mastroianni (" New world"1982) and Heath Ledger (Hollywood comedy 2005), on television - Frank Finley (1971), Richard Chamberlain (1987), David Tennant and Peter O'Toole (English television series 2005).
In Soviet and Russian pop and rock culture - perhaps not without the influence of Fellini's film - songs about Casanova appeared by the Nautilus Pompilius group, V. Kuzmin, V. Leontyev, M. Shcherbakov, O. Arefieva and S. Kalugin.