
Casanova: Man of the World - hoffmannesque
http://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/man-of-the-world/
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dragandj
I read Casanova's memoirs in English translation, and the translation to my
native language (the original is in French). I cannot recommend it enough. If
you are interested, do NOT take an abridged publication (of which there are
many), but the complete one: [https://www.amazon.com/History-My-Life-
Vols-1-2/dp/080185662...](https://www.amazon.com/History-My-Life-
Vols-1-2/dp/0801856620) (the link is to vols 1-2 of 12).

It's about 3,000 pages written in a great style - very modern and fast paced.
Not only Casanova was far from (only) a womanizer that the popular culture
made of him, he was a man so ahead of it's time, that his memoirs are so full
of wisdom that he would be an enlightened elite even today. He was a
businessman, philosopher, con-man, adventurist, spy, politician, and, yes, a
womanizer. But, above all this, a man with a very good reflection and
understanding of the world, which we can enjoy reading his memoirs.

~~~
moron4hire
It looks like the Gutenberg Project's [0] English copy is the Arthur Machen
translation from Jean Laforgue's hatchet job.

Still, it seems a wee bit ludicrous to be paying money for a work created over
300 years ago. Even the translations are still only derived works.

[0]
[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2981](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2981)

~~~
dragandj
The Gutenberg version is abridged, and the translation is also much worse than
Trask. I do not consider $20 too much for a 800 page 2-volume book, very well
typeset, with plenty of notes, and huge scholarly work put in it to make it
accessible to the modern reader.

------
Todd
Here's the thee volume collection that was discussed in the article:

[http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Bibliotheque-
de-...](http://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Bibliotheque-de-la-
Pleiade/Histoire-de-ma-vie)

At more than 4000 pages (in French), it's rather daunting.

There was an exhibit at the BnF several years ago celebrating the acquisition
of the manuscript:

[http://www.bnf.fr/en/cultural_events/anx_exhibitions/f.casan...](http://www.bnf.fr/en/cultural_events/anx_exhibitions/f.casanova_eng.html)

You can see some of it here:

[http://expositions.bnf.fr/casanova/](http://expositions.bnf.fr/casanova/)

