Giacomo Casanova

Born in Venice in 1725, Giacomo Casanova traveled widely through Europe and worked in a surprising range of roles, including cleric, soldier, diplomat, entrepreneur, and writer. His life brought him into contact with aristocrats, intellectuals, artists, and political figures of the age.

Casanova wrote in French and produced historical works, criticism, poetry, translations, and fiction. He is best remembered for Histoire de ma vie (The Story of My Life), an unfinished memoir that offers a lively portrait of 18th-century society as well as an account of his own adventures.

In his later years, Casanova lived in Bohemia, where he worked as a librarian for Count Waldstein. He died in Dux in 1798, leaving behind one of the most vivid autobiographical records of the Enlightenment.