Giacomo Casanova | |
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Born | |
Died | 4 June 1798 | (aged 73)
Alma mater | University of Padua (laurea) |
Parents |
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (/ˌkæsəˈnoʊvə, ˌkæzə-/;[1][2][3] Italian: [ˈdʒaːkomo dʒiˈrɔːlamo kazaˈnɔːva, kasa-]; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer who was born in Venice and travelled extensively throughout Europe.[4][5] He is chiefly remembered for his autobiography, which he wrote in French under the title Histoire de ma vie (Story of My Life). That work is regarded as one of the most authentic and provocative sources of information about the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century.[6]
Casanova used various pseudonyms, including baron or count of Farussi (his mother's maiden name) and Chevalier de Seingalt (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ɡɑl]).[7] After he began writing in French, following his second exile from Venice, he often signed his works as "Jacques Casanova de Seingalt".[a] In his autobiography, Casanova reports encounters with European royalty, popes, and cardinals, as well as with intellectual and artistic figures such as Voltaire, Goethe, and Mozart.
Casanova's autobiography also recounts many complicated sexual affairs with women. The name "Casanova" therefore has acquired a meaning similar to that of "Lothario". Casanova's name may also "be said to be synonymous with libertine".[8] His final years were spent in Dux Castle in Bohemia as a librarian in Count Waldstein's household, where he wrote his famous autobiography.
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