Giacomo Casanova

See also: Casanova (homonymy)

“ the man cannot enjoy what it knows that as much as it can communicate it to somebody. ”
Icosaméron .

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (born the April 2nd 1725 with Venice - died the June 4th 1798 with Dux in Bohemia) was secured in turn, gangster, writer, swindler, entertainer, hired killer, assassin (according to any probability to write its memories of knight), spy according to his dires, paedophile, Diplomate according to its dires, ruined man, incestueux father but, always asserting its quality of Vénitien. It the USA of Pseudonym S and created for itself a title of all parts: knight of Seingalt .

Of him remains an abundant literary work, but Casanova is famous today like adventurer and especially as the man who made of his name the symbol of the plural Séduction. It could use as well of charm as of perfidy to conquer the women beautiful and mochetés, prostitutes and young girls, more rarely of young boys (History of my life). Its reputation in that derives from a work autobiographical Mémoires of J. Casanova de Seingalt, written by itself - History of my life , written in French and considered as one of the most authentic sources in connection with the habits and of the label of the social life of Europe of the 18th century. It mentions there 122 women with whom it would have had sexual relationships, of which hardly pubescent girls and consententes, among which his/her own daughter, then married with the one of his/her “brothers” Francs-maçons, with which it had the only son of which it was informed.

Although it was often associated with Don Juan like seducer and because of his ease in the handling of the sword, it did not profess provocative philosophy but was able, to steal of its writings the least gifted author and to assassinate it at once. Casanova was before a whole Italian in exile, fleeing his country, not an author of French language. It did nothing but add some lovesongs and a few moments of life by making use of great authors met in the inns and other ways and that without leaving proof. Histoire of my life is a consequent work written in French, with only of the Italianisms. It was not either a collector which is diverted its conquest since it was given up with him, insatiable. Casanova was thus a true character historical according to his desire, sensualist, exuberant, and not a legend, the first successes of its youth to its long forfeiture. The painter Francesco Casanova was his brother.

A life of adventures

Born parents actors, surrounded women during childhood (who played a part first for him, as this quotation of its memories evokes it: Nothing of all that exists forever exerted on me a so strong power only one beautiful figure of woman ), it began an ecclesiastical career, then started its life of adventures, carrying on many activities - player of violin, professional player, swindler, financier, librarian forced at the end of the lifetime, etc -, furrowing Europe of the 18th century while passing from the prisons to the courses of sovereigns; that allowed him, during the drafting of its memories, to brush a portrait of the company prérévolutionnaire by depicting the chambermaids just as easily that the ministers more in sight, thus offering a testimony of foreground about one transition period during which it met, inter alia, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the pope Clément XIII.

Casanova lived of expédients, the research of the pleasure undertook its being, and to reach it, he did not scorn a flouer the easily deceived ones and to make fun of the laws. Its memories - studied and confronted with the historical facts by the impassioned casanovists of the matter -, although having inaccuracies as for the dates, seem nevertheless to be written under the control of the bona fide. However, the author probably embellished his own character, without dissimulating some for as much certain doubtful aspects, like his recurring venereal diseases, his incestueuses relations with his own daughter, whom it took pleasure to describe, or its purchase of a little girl in Russia, to satisfy already senile desires.

Casanova became famous of alive sound while escaping from Leads - nickname given to the prisons of Venice because of the lead tiles, on the roofs, which let pass the cold in winter and acted like catalyst of heats of the summer -, it remained it thanks to its affairs which occupy a choice place in its memories: more than one hundred of women are evoked there as “conquests”; according to this rich person “gift Juan”, the man is made to give, the woman to receive . These loves were at the origin of happinesses and of infinite misfortunes for the adventurer who judged that if the pleasures are momentary, the sorrows are to it also : they enabled him to meet the abbot of Bernis, future academician, ambassador of Louis XV in Venice, with which it divided during several months the favors of a nun (indicated by the initial M.M.) that they alternatively found in a casin - kind of garçonnière cossue - where, when one of them made love with their mistress, the other observed the scene of a part hidden in the darkness, through a bored tapestry of a multitude of tiny holes.

The abbot of Bernis joined France. Following its escapades in love and financial, of its catches of subversive opinions, Casanova should have fled Venice, as Mister de Bragadin had proposed to him. But he refused and was imprisoned with the prison of Leads, where there remained two years. Neither its powerful supports, nor its insistence to protest its innocence could make obtain its release. However, through work, of courage, of heat, with, for only thought, the hope to leave to the adventure for always, by the grace and the creativity it managed to escape with another prisoner - it was the single escape which the prison of Leads, of which no one could not escape, knew. The account was written by it by Casanova itself in its Mémoires , in 1791, with a perfect precision and a knowledge of the places. It gained Paris where Bernis - become a Minister for the kingdom of foreground - supported; the adventurer then built a handsome fortune there while launching a lottery of which the goal was to finance the Military academy without imposing the taxpayers more - the people -, lottery of which it knew, by skilful operations and audacity, to adapt paternity and a great part of the benefit.

Secret agent, a mission of investigation, for which it was rewarded with generosity, was entrusted to him by France in order to judge the state of its warships. Impostor, swindler and manipulator (although it was defended some - in its writings, it questions: is which the man to which the need does not make make lownesses? ), it misused the credulity of the rich person Madam d' Urfé while making him believe that it was initiated perfectly with the mysteries of the Cabale.

Presenting as too much generous to break destiny of young women which deserved much, too honest to yield with masquerades in love for financial reasons and, especially, being able to support idea to see connected by so powerful bonds that those of marriage - to marry is stupidity, but when a man does it at the time where his physical forces decrease, it becomes mortal… -, he preferred to neglect several important proposals of convoler in right weddings.

Persuaded that so that the most delicious place of the world displeases, it is enough that one is condemned to live there, Casanova traversed Europe throughout its life, from Venice to Paris, Madrid or Vienna, finishing its life with the castle of Dux, in Bohemia, as a librarian writer, seeing death as a monster which drive out large theater an attentive spectator, before a part who interests it infinitely finishes .

The 73 years of existence told by this large libertine abound in adventures, of anecdotes and of details over this time of blossoming of novel ideas and on the company of then, they are it in a literary style with sometimes alambiquées or sophisticated turnings of an “invaluable” narrator - of a conceited person perhaps -, but they are understandable, sometimes admirable, often tasty, like when Casanova written with simplicity: I never in my life made another thing that to work to return to me sick when I enjoyed my health, and to work to regain my health when I had lost it .

Portrait of old Casanova by one of its contemporaries

The contemporary, author of this portrait, is the Prince de Ligne whose text appeared under the title Aventuros in Mémoires and mixtures historical and literary. Paris, 1828, T. IV, p. 291.

The prince of Ligne wrote in his memories a longer text about Casanova:

It would be a beautiful good man if it were not ugly; he is large, frame as a Hercules, but has a African dye; sharp eyes, full with spirit to the truth, but which always announce susceptibility, concern or resentment, give him a little the wild air, easier to be put in anger than in cheerfulness. He laughs little, but he makes laugh. He has a manner of saying the things which holds of the Harlequin unbalance and the Barber, which makes it very pleasant. There are only the things which it claims to know that he does not know: rules of the dance, those of the French language, the taste, the use of the world and the good manners. There are only its philosophical works where there is philosophy; all the others are filled by it; it always refers there, of the nine, the prickly one and the deep one. It is a well of learning; but it so often quotes Homère and Horace, that is of what to disgust some. The turning of its spirit and its projections are a Attic salt extract. It is sensitive and grateful; but for little that one displeases to him, it is malicious, aggressive and hateful. A million that one would give him would not repurchase a small joke that one would have made him. Its style resembles that of the old forewords; it is long, diffuse and heavy; but if it has something to tell, like, for example, its adventures, it puts at it such an originality, a naivety, this species of dramatic kind to put all in action, that one could not too admire it, and that, without the knowledge, it is higher than Gil Blas and with the lame Diable . He does not believe in nothing, except what is the least believable, being superstitious on very full with objects. Fortunately that it has honor and delicacy, because with his sentence, “ I promised it with God ”, or, “ God wants it ”, it does not have there a thing in the world which it was not able to make. He likes. He covets all, and, after having had of all, he can do without all. The women and the little girls especially are in her head; but they cannot leave there any more to pass elsewhere. That annoys it, that the met in anger against the fair sex, itself, the sky, nature and especially against the year 1725. He is avenged for all that against all that is mangeable, drinkable; not being able more to be one god in the gardens, a satyr in the forests, it is a wolf with table: it does not make thanks to nothing, starts merrily and finishes sadly, sorry not to be able to start again. If it benefitted sometimes from its superiority on some animals, men and women, to make fortune, it was to make happy what surrounded it. In the middle of the greatest disorders of the most stormy youth and the most adventurous career and sometimes a little ambiguity, it showed delicacy, honor and courage. It is proud because it is nothing. Shareholder, or financier or large lord, it would have been perhaps easy to live; but that it is not opposed, especially that one does not laugh, but that it is read or that it is listened to; because its self-esteem is always under the weapons. Him known as never that you know the history which it will tell you; seem to hear it for the first time. Do not fail to make him reverence, because one nothing will make you an enemy of it. Its extraordinary imagination, the promptness of its country, its voyages, all the trades which it made, its firmness in the absence of all the moral and physical goods, make of it a man rare, invaluable to meet, worthy even of consideration and much of friendship on behalf of very the small number of people who find grace in front of lui.

Works

It left, inter alia works, a Histoire of its captivity , Prague, 1788, and Mémoires extremely licencieux, written in French and published in Leipzig, 1826 - 1832, 10 vol. in-8. These Mémoires was put at the Index Librorum Prohibitorum with Rome.

  • 1752 - Zoroastro, tragedia tradotta dal Francese, da rappresentarsi nel Regio Elettoral Teatro di Dresda, paved compagnia de' comici italiani in attuale servizio di Sua Maestà nel carnevale dell' ass MDCCLII. Dresda.

  • 1753 - Moluccheide, O sia I gemelli rivali. Dresda
  • 1769 - Confutazione della Storia del Governo Veneto d' Amelot of the Holly-plantation, Amsterdam (Lugano).
  • 1772 - Lana caprina. Epistola di a licantropo. Bologna.
  • 1774 - Istoria delle turbolenze della Polonia. Gorizia.
  • 1775 - Dell' Iliade di Omero tradotta in ottava rima. Venezia.
  • 1779 - Scrutinio LED libro “Praises of Mr. de Voltaire by various authors”. Venezia.
  • 1780 - Opuscoli miscellanei - It duello - Lettere beyond nobil gave Silvia Belegno went nobildonzella Laura Gussoni. Venezia.
  • 1781 - the messenger of Thalie. Venezia.
  • 1782 - Di aneddoti viniziani militari ED amorosi LED secolo decimoquarto sotto I dogadi di Giovanni Gradenigo E di Giovanni Dolfin. Venezia.
  • 1782 - Born amori born ovvero the stalla ripulita gives. Venezia.
  • 1786 - Soliloquy of a thinker, Prague at noble Jean Ferdinande of Shonfeld printer and bookseller.
  • 1787 - History of my escape of the prisons of the Republic of Venice which one calls Leads. Written has Dux into Bohemian the year 1787, Leipzig at the noble one of Shonfeld.
  • 1788 - Icosameron or history of Edouard, and Elisabeth who spent four twenty years at Mégramicres living indigenous of Protocosme in the interior of our sphere, translated anglois by Jacques Casanova de Seingalt Vénitien Doctor in Bibliothécaire laws of Mister the Count de Waldstein lord of Dux Chambellan of S.M.I.R.A., Prague to the printing works of the teacher training school.
  • 1790 - Solution of the deliaque problem shown by Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, Librarian of Mister the Count de Waldstein, segnor of Dux in Bohemian E C., Dresden, Of the printing works of D.C. Meinhold.
  • 1790 - Corollary with the duplication of the Hexahedron given Dux into Bohemian has, by Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, Dresda.
  • 1790 - geometrical Demonstration of the duplicaton of the cube. Corollary second, Dresda.
  • 1797 - With Léonard Snetlage, Doctor in right of the University of Gottingue, Jacques Casanova, doctor in right of the University of Padoue.
  • 1880 - Memories of J.Casanova De Singalt writes by him-even-News edition: Garnier Paris Brothers. - 3k
  • 1960 - 1961 - History of my life, F.A. Brockhaus, Wiesbaden and Plon, Paris.

Random links:271 | El competir con de coche de la producción | Touggourt | Bitonto | Canadian federal election of 1904 | Ole Nydahl | Ouragan_de_colporteur