New Editions of Casanova's Memoirs Published by Gallimard and Robert Laffont

Two new editions of Giacomo Casanova's memoirs, Histoire de ma vie, have been published by Gallimard (in the Pléiade collection) and Robert Laffont (in the Bouquins collection). Both are based on the original manuscript recently acquired by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), correcting errors from the 1960 Brockhaus edition by Plon. The editions feature extensive critical apparatus, with the Bouquins volume presenting different states of the text including crossed-out passages, while the Pléiade edition provides footnotes clarifying difficult turns of phrase. The memoirs, written in French with Italian influences, recount Casanova's life as an adventurer and libertine, emphasizing his pursuit of sensual pleasures, his philosophy of freedom and reason, and his belief that taste is a grace. The publication coincides with a cultural moment in Venice, where the author was born and baptized at San Samuele church. The article, written by Vincent Roy, uses the occasion to reflect on contemporary society's obsession with transparency and morality, contrasting it with Casanova's unapologetic hedonism.