| Casanova in Bolzano Contributor(s): Marai, Sandor (Author) |
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ISBN: 0375712968 ISBN-13: 9780375712968 Publisher: Vintage OUR PRICE: $16.15 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: November 2005 Annotation: Another rediscovered masterpiece from the author of "Embers: an erotically charged novel-written within the framework of historical reality-about Casanova's fateful encounter with the woman who finally defeats him. In 1756 Giacomo Casanova escaped from the dreaded cells of Venice's most infamous jail: it is at this moment that Sandor Marai begins his story. Stopping to rest at the Italian village of Bolzano, Casanova secures a loan to rebuild his life, and resumes his art of seduction. But there is another reason he has come to this particular village: the memory of a duel he fought long ago with the duke of Parma over a girl named Francesca. Casanova lost the fight; Francesca became the duke's wife; and the duke spared Casanova's life on condition that he never set eyes on her again. The village of Bolzano is part of the duke's lands. Now an old man, the duke arrives at the inn with a love letter he has intercepted from his wife to Casanova. He could kill Casanova on the spot but instead makes him an irresistible offer, one that will ultimately be the downfall of the notorious lover. Brimming with the richness and psychological tension that made "Embers an international best seller, "Casanova in Bolzano is further proof that Sandor Marai stands among the twentieth century's greatest literary voices. "From the Hardcover edition. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Literary - Fiction | Historical - General - Fiction | Thrillers - Historical |
| Dewey: FIC |
| Series: Vintage International |
| Physical Information: 0.68" H x 5.32" W x 8.02" (0.50 lbs) 304 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 18th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Another rediscovered masterpiece from the Hungarian novelist whose Embers became an international bestseller--a sensuous, suspenseful, aphoristic novel about the world's most notorious seducer and the encounter that changes him forever. In 1756 Giacomo Casanova escapes from a Venetian prison and resurfaces in the Italian village of Bolzano. Here he receives an unwelcome visitor: the aging but still fearsome Duke of Parma, who years before had defeated Casanova in a duel over a ravishing girl named Francesca and spared his life on condition that he never see her again. Now the duke has taken Francesca as his wife--and intercepted a love letter from her to his old rival. Rather than kill Casanova on the spot, he makes him a startling offer, one that is logical, perverse, and irresistible. Turning an historical episode into a dazzling fictional exploration of the clasp of desire and death, Casanova in Bolzano is further proof that S ndor M rai is one of the most distinctive voices of the twentieth century. |