Avonturen in Venetië

Memoirs of Casanova #1

by Giacomo Casanova

Casanova is the original love rat, and the original 'Latin Lover'. Widely regarded as one of the world's greatest lovers and the original 'love rat' or serial polygamist, Giacomo Casanova was a scholar and adventurer as well. It took him 18 years to write these astonishing and often amusing memoirs, which, in turn, took 100 further years to be proved as genuine. Casanova is a magnetic character, and his writing style is appealing.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Classics, Biography, Memoir, History, Romance

326 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1797

About the author

A seminary expelled Giovanni Jacopo Casanova de Seingalt, Italian adventurer, who afterward wandered Europe, met luminaries, worked in a variety of occupations, established a legendary reputation for lust, and chronicled his memoirs.

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt, a Venetian, authored book. People regard Histoire de ma vie ( Story of My Life ), his main book, part autobiography, as one most authentic source of the customs and norms of social life during the 18th century.

He, sometimes called the greatest lust of the world, so famously womanized with his synonymous name with the art of seduction.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Casanova is a great big bag of dicks. The only reason I finished the book was because it was read by Benedict Cumberbatch, he could read the yellow pages and I'd still listen. The only thing that made me smile in this novel was when Casanova got an STD proving that at least there is some justice in the world.

[Jenrieshka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually one to listen to books-on-tape... but I'd pay to hear Jeremy Irons, Alan Rickman or Benedict Cumberbatch read a shampoo bottle, let alone an entire book.

I'm about half-way through it and it's wonderful. I'd read the book as a teenager, but it's so different to hear the book read to you. Cumberbatch is an amazing narrator. I hope he does more books in the future. On par with Irons' reading of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita.

[Ruth]

From this book, I get the feeling that one shouldn't read Casanova hoping for erotica. When it comes to the actual deeds done, he's remarkably discreet. However, he's an excellent storyteller and this book is worth reading for the stories alone (whether or not they're "true" or this is the real version of the actual events). Cumberbatch is a fantastic reader--he captures Casanova's voice and adds a touch of sensuality to the narration, despite the redaction of specifics.

[Yann · Rating 5 out of 5]

1er tome sur 3. Bon, c'était un vrai régal. Jacques Casanova, citoyen Vénitien du 18me siècle a écrit ses mémoires après la révolution française. S'il est connu pour ses aventures galantes, la lecture de ses écrits ne laisse pas spécialement entendre qu'elles fussent pour lui un sujet de fierté, leurs issues n'étant pas toujours heureuses. Il met en avant une sincérité qui le rend immédiatement aimable, une indépendance d'esprit qui le rend intéressant. Tout à tour séminariste, soldat, violoniste, escroc, magicien, patricien, médecin, Casanova met à profit ses grandes capacités intellectuelles pour s'adapter à toutes les situations, et voyage en France (il est hébergé par Crébillon, le censeur royal, qui lui enseigne la technique des vers blancs), à Rome, en Allemagne, en Turquie. Il voue une haine mortelle aux sots,qu’il n'hésite pas à duper par de sanglantes impostures, afin de rendre justice, selon lui, à l'intelligence. Son tempérament sanguin et ombrageux le rend incapable de supporter les injures. Les textes en annexes, d'autres de ses écrits, donnent un bonne mesure de son esprit, et révèlent une profonde érudition théologique et historique, ainsi qu'un grand intérêt pour la philosophie. C'est un voyage au cœur du 18eme siècle, aimable et fascinant.

[Camilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have this shelved as nonfiction--it is a memoir--but it might as well be fiction, because I hardly believe a word of it. It comes off as an extremely unreliable narrator bragging. That being said, it was very entertaining, if not plausible, and I enjoyed it greatly. The narration by Benedict Cumberbatch is fantastic, and perfect for the part. I wish he would narrate more parts of the memoirs, because no other voice will ever be Casanova to me.

Those of you who prefer your characters likeable, do yourselves a favor and look elsewhere. This man promised marriage to a number of women and left, justifying it to himself as a favor (it was, but not for the reasons he thinks), and he dug up a corpse and cut off its arm for a practical joke, if indeed you believe him.

My only real complaint about the audiobook itself is that it's heavily abridged. Then again, I'm not sure my enjoyment of the book would have lasted any longer. You can listen to someone brag about their sexual exploits, but after a while it does get tedious. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the infamous man, but not enough to read the thousands of pages to be found in his memoirs. This, I would think, tells you all you need to know, and with a wonderful narration.

[Sarah]

Another book I've added because of the narrator. When Benedict Cumberbatch, whose voice is made of sex and chocolate and silk, reads the memoir of famous lover Casanova, I'll listen.

[Wout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Écht amusant, grappig, innemend, oud en toch zo modern.

[Miro Quinet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giacomo is een genie: op vlak van misleiding, verleiding maar bovenal op het hanteren van een vlotte pen. Hij schrijft zijn memoires zo meesterlijk goed neer dat je in zijn schoenen zou willen staan ondanks de miserie van dien tijd. Een tijd waarvan je je dankzij zijn kleine geschiedschrijving een perfect beeld kan vormen. Een tijd die misschien wel door zijn zalige aanwezigheid perfect moet zijn geweest. Dit is deel 1 van de 12 maar ik verwacht dat het enkel maar beter zal worden!!

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope, nope, a whole lotta NOPE.
I thought that this would be romantic and a little spicy. Casanova is synonymous with seduction, right? Yeaaaah, he’s a rapist. Good times.
At first, his exploits are simple threesomes with hot sisters. But when he does not get what he wants, he’s nasty and violent. Yet he thinks all of his victims were happy to please him. Coercion is not consent. AAAAGGGHHHHHH.
There’s just so much wrong in this, SO MUCH. But what is truly appalling is how our culture turned this STI-addled narcissist into a romantic hero. The audiobook is gorgeous and sensual…. Cumberbatch has a voice, but eeeewwww, nooooooooooo. Use your powers for good, Benny. Ew.
The audiobook is also very abridged; unfortunately they don’t cut out the worst parts. But they did chop out a whole exorcism!

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've listened to several of Cumberbatch's readings of audiobooks, and he is great on all of them. However, this reading of Casanova's memoirs surely is the perfect marriage of voice and book and really shows off his talent. He adapts his voice for each character with a seamless flow, and has just the barest hint of falsetto for the women without being silly. He gives Casanova a charming pompousness that I'm sure the real man had, and puts on a bedroom voice that could make a grandmother blush. The story itself is interesting for all the political intrigues and twists, as well as the sheer number of suggestive situations Casanova finds or creates.

[OvercommuniKate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Benedict Cumberbatch is a great narrator however Casanova is both a fuckboy and a victim. The novel begins with tales of him being groomed as a nine and ten year old that are incredibly uncomfortable to read.

[Xandra Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As impressive as the first time I read it. Definitely Casanova was a great man and I trully admire his character.

[Kataklicik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook : YouTube.
Read by Benedict Cumberbatch.

I'll be honest. Yes, I picked this because it was Cumberbatch. He's a brilliant narrator, and that voice doesn't hurt either :p

What I didn' realise was that this is only the first volume of six. I mean really? What's there to tell of a life lived so long ago? But as the story went along, I grew more and more amazed at all the shenanigans this Casanova committed! In the 1700s too! His autobiography reads like a sliver of modern fiction, to the extent that had me wondering if all these inhibitions we carry as a society now is a modern, contemporary invention.

What fun to have been Giacomo Casanova! ;p

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I broke my rule against abridged books for Benedict Cumberbatch's reading and it was worth it. Casanova and his diaries might be famous but a little goes a long way.

[PointyEars42 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Turns out that Casanova was a prize jackass and a complete waste of space. Everything in his life is tedious repetition of what has gone before and I cannot summon any sympathy or empathy. By that age, in that era, he would have been considered an adult, but he behaved like a modern teenage walking hard-on. The memoirs are supposedly genuinely written by him, but the tales of excess and adventure are as plausible and sincere as a James Bond movie and smell rather strongly of a need for an old man dying alone to fluff up his past to make it seem less shallow and hollow.

There is, however, nothing like a thorough Cumberbatching first thing in the morning. Mmmmmm...

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic first hand account of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century. (Those who read this book and complain that Casanova was a jerk are missing the point - This book is valuable because of the glimpse into the vanished world that was the 1700s.) He paints vivid pictures of social situations, often using humor, that allow us to momentarily imagine ourselves in this time.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting book. Whether or not Casanova did all the things he claims to have done is completely irrelevant to me. This is a wonderful look into the social history of the early 18th century.

Also Benedict Cumberbatch narrated and is wonderful.. although was there really any doubt?

[Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved listening to Benedict Cumberbatch reading the story, but I found the words themselves to be rather dull.

[Jonnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t know where to start and wish I never had. But it’s over now

[Hans Moerland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Op de stofomslag van de onderhavige Nederlandse editie van “Avonturen in Venetië”, van Giacomo Casanova, heeft deze onbeholpen titel de toevoeging gekregen: ‘uit de authentieke memoires, vertaald en van een nawoord voorzien door Theo Kars’.
Als lezer zal men wellicht op voorhand zo zijn bedenkingen hebben bij een boek met een zo simpele titel, en dan ook nog eens van de hand van een auteur die spreekwoordelijk bekend staat als feilloos en onverbeterlijk vrouwenveroveraar. Zal het boek, mede gezien de wulpse afbeelding op de voorkant ervan, niet bijna uitsluitend gaan over Casanova’s avonturen ‘in sexualibus’ en desbetreffende intriges? Nu komen diens liefdesavonturen inderdaad geregeld aan de orde, met inbegrip van vele intriges – die laatste soms zelfs zo gecompliceerd dat ze me in het begin van het boek dreigden af te houden van een substantieel leesplezier. De schrijver, die leefde van 1725 tot 1798, blijkt echter heel wat meer te bieden te hebben. De lezer die doorzet wordt ten slotte zelfs rijkelijk beloond.
Zo komt hij van alles te weten over de politieke verhoudingen in het achttiende-eeuwse Venetië, over de justitiële instituties aldaar, over de omgangsvormen, de mores in bepaalde kringen, over de rol en de macht van de kerk en haar functionarissen. De kerk oefende nogal wat invloed uit op Casanova’s leven en levensvreugde, in positieve zowel als negatieve zin. Met menige non zou hij het bed hebben mogen delen, maar daar staat dan weer tegenover dat hij heel wat huichelachtigheid aan de dag moest leggen om te voorkomen dat hij zich al te nadrukkelijk zou manifesteren als atheïst. Zelfs in zijn in 1797, anderhalf jaar voor zijn overlijden, gepubliceerde memoires laat hij zich nog omfloerst uit over zijn godsgeloof. Theo Kars wijst dan ook in zijn voortreffelijke nawoord op de tegenstrijdigheden die Casanova als mens en als schrijver tentoonspreidt – in dit, maar ook in andere opzichten.
Mij viel een fraaie passage op waarin de auteur zich op de vlakte houdt bij de formulering van wat we tegenwoordig een placebo-effect zouden noemen: “Ik weet dat ik nadat ik had gebeden mij altijd sterker voelde; en dat is voldoende bewijs dat het nuttig is, of nu de vermeerdering van kracht rechtstreeks van God afkomt, of een lichamelijk gevolg is van het vertrouwen dat men in hem heeft” (p. 239; modern als hij in bepaalde opzichten kan worden getypeerd signaleert Casanova trouwens ook, op bladzij 274, een self fulfilling prophecy avant la lettre: “Deze geschiedenis leert degenen die nog geen levenservaring hebben verworven dat een aantal voorvallen nooit hadden plaatsgevonden als ze niet waren voorspeld”).
Een en ander kon niet voorkomen dat de auteur, vermoedelijk op basis van een verdenking van atheïsme, in de Piombi-gevangenis werd opgesloten. Zijn ontsnapping daaruit, na geruime tijd, en de wijze waarop hij die beschrijft zijn bijkans onnavolgbaar. Al met al vormt “Avonturen in Venetië” een glashelder antwoord, eindelijk eens, op de vraag die het label van het Pickwick-theebuiltje vanochtend bij het ontbijt aan me stelde: “Wanneer heeft iets voor het laatst je verwachting overtroffen?”.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Jacques) Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt (1725-1798) was a Venetian adventurer and author. His main book Histoire de Ma Vie (History of My Life), part autobiography and part memoir, is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century. So famous a womanizer was the Italian-born libertine Giacomo Casanova that, a full two centuries after his death, his name remains synonymous with the art of seduction. But for the years he spent in the employ of Count Waldstein of Bohemia as a librarian, Casanova, "the world's greatest lover" - at one-time the company of European royalty, popes and cardinals, and man known to the likes of Voltaire, Goethe and Mozart - would have been consigned to obscurity. He began to think about writing his memoirs around 1780 and began in earnest by 1789, as "the only remedy to keep from going mad or dying of grief." The first draft was completed by July 1792, and he spent the next six years revising it.

[josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an enjoyable and lighthearted read. I listened to Benedict Cumberbatch read this using Audible, and it was so fun. It's just short enough that I didn't feel like I was wasting my time listening to Casanova talk endlessly about his various love affairs- which is essentially what this is. Only it's read by Cumberbatch. And Casanova is an incredibly vivid, creative, and picturesque writer. He's also very funny as he interprets his actions and thoughts from a first-person perspective. It was especially nice to read after just finishing a different book with a very mundane writing-style, and poor vocabulary. 4.5 stars, would recommend if you're into short and incomplete/ empty, but romantic memoirs, and/or Cumberbatch's voice.

[Roger Abrahams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deel één van een twaalfdelige autobiografie van Giacomo Casanova, en ik ga alles lezen. Zo vlot opgeschreven, vol dialogen en beschrijvingen, met smeuïge belevenissen, veel ervan erotisch, en dat van een jongeman uit de bovenlaag van de maatschappij die in dit boek niet ouder is dan negentien en die op het punt staat om vanuit zijn geboortestad Venetië de wereld van de achttiende eeuw te ontdekken. Laat maar komen!

[Sara Gerot · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part about reading this was the immersion into the world of the 1700's. The dinners. The descriptions of food and drink. The styles. The incredibly complex and far-reaching power of the church. I didn't really like Casanova. At times there were small moments of grace for him, but mostly he is pretty selfish, entitled, and a true scoundrel. However, I will probably follow his journey into the next volume.

[Valentine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad this was an abridged version, as Casanova is a pretty despicable and annoying character. I think I only finished it because Benedict Cumberbatch was the narrator and I could listen to him reading almost anything. The historical aspect of it was interesting though !

[Peter Farago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giacomo Casanova is a remarkable storyteller and his memoirs are a beautifully written account of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century. I was wrong to pre-judge Casanova for it is far from being the trashy bodice-ripper I had imagined.

[Perry · Rating 2 out of 5]

so very much to say....
3.5, I have read it improves in later volumes.

[Akita · Rating 1 out of 5]

Il viole une femme au chapitre V et en parle d'un ton plaisantin.

[D.B. Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story and character. Odd ending but nice read.