Casanova In Bohemia
Giacomo Casanova was born in Venice in 1725, but author Codrescu opens his novel with an aging Casanova inhabiting a Bohemian castle writing his memoirs. Of course, there is a maid to tend to his daily needs, but Laura is no naive nymphet. She’s an avid reader, and educated as a nurse. She calls him by his nickname, “le Chevalier,” and he respects her because he prefers a woman with a brain, which may surprise some readers.
Casanova, thought to be a devil by some, was banned from several continents, but he was insatiable for knowledge as well as the charms of women. Laura is attentive and enough of a flirt to inspire her new master to recount his life aloud so she can ask questions about life that have been burning in her brain.
Although Casanova was the libertine of his reputation, he was also a man of literary achievements as well as musical skills. He was no small influence on Mozart, and he witnessed the stirrings of the French Revolution. Casanova’s influence did not end with his death, although his work was not published until 1960, having influenced persons from the Doge of Venice to Jean-Paul Sartre and beyond. Indeed, Andrei Codrescu’s devotion to his subject does him justice, and he finally rescues Casanova from the “previous assassins of his character.” With a lively mixture of historical fact and fancy, the novel is a good read from start to the fanciful finish.
