Véritables mémoires de Cagliostro

These supposed memoirs present the astonishing voice of the celebrated Count Cagliostro, a self‑styled magician who claims to have lived through centuries of intrigue. The narrative opens on a sun‑drenched Rome, where a curious old woman named Lorenza, reputed to have once been the wife of a famous sorcerer, befriends the narrator as they watch the bustling river and the chatter of laundresses. Their playful exchanges reveal a world where superstition and wit intertwine, and they soon discover a cache of mysterious letters that spark the desire to set down a life story.

Meanwhile, the distant thunder of the French Revolution reaches even the condemned walls of the Inquisition’s prison, where Cagliostro ponders the beheading of Louis XVI and the collapse of old regimes. He confides in his gaoler, Fra Pancrazio, now a trusted companion, and decides to record his visions, prophecies, and the strange courses that have led him to this dark cell. The memoir promises a blend of personal revelation, occult intrigue, and a glimpse of the larger upheavals reshaping Europe, all filtered through the immortal’s wry, reflective tone.