About
Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) was a Venetian adventurer and writer. Son of actors, he earned a doctorate in law at Padua in 1742. He pursued many occupations across Europe: violinist, soldier, alchemist, spy, lottery director, diplomat, and librarian. Famous for his escapades, he is best known for his French-language autobiography, Histoire de ma vie, which vividly depicts 18th-century customs. He escaped from the Leads prison in Venice in 1756, an exploit he recounted in a narrative published in 1787. He also wrote a proto-science-fiction novel, Icosaméron (1788), and translated the Iliad into Italian.
* 1725-04-02 — † 1798-06-04
Major works
- Histoire de ma vie (1789-1798)autobiography
- Histoire de ma fuite des prisons de la République de Venise (1787)narrative
- Icosaméron (1788)novel
- Iliade (traduction en ottava rima) (1775)translation
Key milestones
- 1742Earned a doctorate in civil and canon law from the University of Padua.
- 1756Escaped from the Leads prison in Venice.
- 2010The original manuscript of Histoire de ma vie was acquired by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Themes
adventureseduction18th-century societyescapeself-writing
Sources: europeana.eu · britannica.com · sammlung.staedelmuseum.de