by Owen Holloway
After their first publication in the early nineteenth century Casanova's memoirs became the subject of lively speculation and controversy, partly aroused by the fact that the text then published was known to be incomplete. Now at last the full original text is being issued in six volumes, of which the first two have recently appeared in Germany and France.
From a close acquaintance with the life and thought of the Grand Siècle, Owen Holloway examines the light these writings shed on Casanova's real personality.