Casanova memoires1/3/2024 It is a lot more unusual, however, to get a glimpse of Giacomo in a more familial context. The popular perception of Casanova is one thing but what more do we learn about him from this letter?Īpart from his Mémoires, there is a rich correspondence showing Casanova’s ability to move successfully through eighteenth-century society, entertaining relationships with the nobility and building a network of contacts across Europe. Working on the Crewe Collection – and indeed in the Wren Library generally – it truly feels like working in a treasure trove. Richard Monckton Milnes, who amassed the Collection, was always on the lookout for peculiar books with some extra added value. However, in the context of the Crewe Collection and the ongoing cataloguing project, we come across letters, documents and other items inserted in the books fairly often. So there wasn’t much reason to doubt Giacomo’s identity. We were lucky in the sense that the letter, simply signed ‘Giacomo’, was addressed to his nephew, who was also a Casanova, and the full address, including the surname, was present, as well as the date and place. Generally speaking, this is quite a rare find. How rare is it to find an unknown letter written by a well-known literary figure? I had a stint in journalism during my university years in Italy, which helps with spotting a good story and communicating it in an engaging way. I have a background in Italian literature, palaeography and cataloguing and it is a privilege to be able to use these skills and knowledge in such a fascinating environment. When the Crewe Collection was bequeathed to the Wren Library by the Duchess of Roxburghe – more than 7,500 books – I got involved in cataloguing them, completing work on the Italian collection and helping whenever my language skills were useful.īeing a native speaker of a European language is always an advantage in the world of rare book collections. Currently, my focus is creating content for the Library’s social media. Sadly, he wasn’t enjoying his role as much as I enjoy mine! But this was due to the lack of esteem he was shown by other people living in Duchcov Castle and working for the Count of Waldstein at the time.Īs Library Assistant at Trinity since 2014, I undertake a variety of tasks. This was a chance for him to settle down, live near his family, and have the time to write his autobiography. Researching his life for my blog post, I was intrigued to discover he was a librarian for the last 13 years of his life. What is most interesting to you about Casanova?īefore coming across this letter, I knew as much as everybody else about him: an eighteenth-century Venetian adventurer famous for his many romantic encounters (some of which today would be considered predatory and abusive), who travelled extensively around Europe and wrote an autobiography which, apart from being a literary sensation at the time, was also important in shedding light on one of the most turbulent times in the history of the Continent. As a librarian working with special collections, I always try to picture the ‘real life’ stories behind the written words or objects that I am privileged to work with. Hence the desire to research the context further, and the identification of the addressee, who was an unknown member of the Casanova family until now. When the letter emerged from a book in the Crewe Collection, with my Italian native speaker hat on I was asked to translate it I think we were all hoping for a love letter! I embarked with enthusiasm in the transcription and translation work and, as much as I immediately realised that the content was about money matters rather than romantic affairs, I was delighted to discover a side of Casanova’s personality that is not widely known.
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