The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 24: London to Berlin

In this lively segment of the memoirs, the famed wanderer finds himself tangled in a web of intrigue after a night’s escape from London to Berlin. A sudden knock at his window introduces the disreputable Pocchini, fresh from a robbery in Stuttgart, and sparks a bitter confrontation that sets the tone for the day’s chaos. Soon after, a fellow traveler brings news of his recent arrest, a modest bail, and a curious letter that points him toward the impoverished poet Bottarelli, whose cramped attic room reveals the stark contrast between literary ambition and desperate poverty.

Casanova’s curiosity leads him into Bottarelli’s shabby dwelling, where a brief, uneasy exchange uncovers the poet’s precarious situation and his involvement in false testimony. The episode is punctuated by a darkly comic episode involving a newly‑purchased parrot, which Casanova trains to repeat a scathing phrase about a former adversary. The bird quickly becomes a quirky instrument of petty revenge, drawing the attention of acquaintances and hinting at the mischievous schemes that will follow.