Casanova: Actor Lover Priest Spy Horror Book Review

This vivid biography of “the world’s greatest lover” reveals surprising unknown facets of the man behind the myth.

In Casanova, noted author Ian Kelly traces the life of Giacomo Casanova, a man whose very name is synonymous with sensuality, seduction, and sexual prowess. But Casanova was more than just a great lover, he was also a businessman, diplomat, spy, and philosopher. The author of more than twenty books, including a translation of The Iliad, in his lifetime he visited every European capital city (and was expelled from many). Confidant of many infamous characters—including Madame de Pompadour, Voltaire, and Catherine the Great— Casanova was undoubtedly charismatic. But how exactly did he seduce himself into infamy?

In this richly drawn portrait, Casanova emerges as very much a product of eighteenth-century Venice. He reveled in its commedia dell’arte and Kelly posits that his successes as both a libertine and a libertarian grew from his careful study of its artifice and illusion. Food, travel, sex: Casanova’s great passions are timeless ones, and Kelly brilliantly brings to life in full flavor the grandeur of his exploits, while also articulating the fascinating personal philosophy that inspired the adventurer’s quest to bed all manner of women.

A riveting look at the life of the most legendary lover of all time—this is destined to become the definitive biography of Giacomo Casanova.