Who is Casanova?

Unlike Don Juan, who is just a mythical, fiction character, Casanova was indeed a real person. His full name was Gian Giacomo Girolamo Casanova. He was born on April 2, 1725 in Venice, Italy and he lived his life like a real hero. He followed his heart and he fought for his desires. He was in love with women in the way a woman wants a man to be in love with her. Of course this is my interpretation. As a man, reading his biography, I could not help but thinking and contemplating how sincere he was in his thirst for love. Although some call him a womanizer his feelings were not insincere. On the contrary, he adored women to the extremes. He defended women's rights and in his time he was a revolutionary in this sense.

For example, when he was dining with the Count of St. Germain in a spacious castle, he found himself in an argument with the Count. The Count told a story. He said "What is lighter than a feather? Ashes, of course, they move with a puff. And what is lighter than ashes? And what is lighter than ashes? A woman. And what is lighter than a woman? Nothing." Casanova could not stop from getting angry. He objected the Count's argument with a long monologue. I will quote a brief passage. "Men have so much power over women, a sort of tyranny. Women are more reasonable, more generous than men. And instead of making use of their virtues they offer them to us", he said. "Only men who have never fell in love with women speak evil of them."

We all know what the word Casanova stands for in our time. A vicious womanizer. But he was not. He was a sensitive man with many talents. He was a chemist, lawyer, doctor, philosopher, and an entrepreneur. He started state lottery system in France and became very rich. He spent all his money with the women he loved. His heart was broken more than once. Two of his greatest loves cheated on him. He did not repent.

He spent the last years of his life as a librarian during which he wrote a memoir covering 12 volumes and 3,500 pages. He said "I am writing My Life to laugh at myself, and I am succeeding."