Casanova: The World of a Seductive Genius - Tapa dura

"Casanova is a brilliant account of the life, adventures and tribulations of this 18th-century Venetian adventurer and author. To all those who seem to think sex was invented in their lifetime, I suggest they take a look back in time and see if they can't learn a thing or two from a true master."--Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Author of The Doctor Is In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life and Joie de Vivre

"Few readers of Laurence Bergreen's new biography, Casanova: The World of a Seductive Genius, will emerge from it wholly disapproving of this remarkable man. . . . His saving graces included limitless curiosity, resilience and joie de vivre, as he bounced shamelessly from one misadventure to the next."--Anthony Gottlieb "The New York Times Book Review "

"Sexy, surprising, funny, insightful, and wildly entertaining."--The Huffington Post

"Laurence Bergreen's lively new biography Casanova leaves no detail unmentioned as he chronicles the life of the 18th-century erotic legend."--Seattle Times

"Casanova's adventures include plenty of juicy details, and Bergreen weaves in just enough to prove his reputation. . . . Great fun for any history lover."--Kirkus Reviews

"[Bergreen] conveys much of his subject's charm in this retelling of many seductions. . . . Readers will enjoy the bold characterization and fascinating social history of eighteenth-century Europe."--Booklist

The definitive biography of the impoverished child, abandoned by his parents, who became the famous writer, notorious libertine, and self-invented genius whose name still resonates today: Giacomo Casanova.

Today, “Casanova” is a synonym for “great lover,” yet the real story of this remarkable figure is little known. Giacomo Casanova was raised by his maternal grandmother, an illiterate peasant. His birthplace, Venice, was a republic in decline, reputedly the most debauched city in Europe. Casanova would add to the republic’s reputation. Over the course of his lifetime, he claimed to have seduced more than 100 women, among them married women, young women in convents, girls just barely in their teens, and in one notorious instance, his own illegitimate daughter.

Casanova came of age in a Venice filled with spies and informers. Naturally brilliant, he was intellectually curious and read forbidden books, for which he was jailed. He staged a dramatic escape from Venice’s notorious prison, the only person known to have done so. He then fled to France, where he invented the national lottery that still exists to this day. But, intemperate by nature, he made enemies at the French court. He crisscrossed Europe, landing for a while in St. Petersburg, where he was admitted to the court of Catherine the Great. He corresponded with Voltaire and met Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte—assisting them as they composed the timeless opera Don Giovanni. And he wrote what many consider the greatest memoir of the era, the 12-volume Story of My Life.

A figure straight out of a Henry Fielding novel: erotic, brilliant, impulsive, and desperate for recognition, Casanova was a self-destructive genius. This witty, roisterous biography exposes his astonishing life in rich, intimate detail. At the same time, it is a dazzling portrait of eighteenth-century Europe from serving girls to kings and courtiers. Esteemed biographer Laurence Bergreen brings a sensual world vividly alive in this irresistible book.