Casanova in Bolzano

October 4, 2004
October 31, 1756: the incorrigible playboy and roving gambler Giacomo Casanova escapes from a pestilent Venetian prison. Aiming for Munich, he stops near the Austrian border at an inn in Bolzano. The imperious septuagenarian duke of Parma, Casanova's victorious former rival for the hand of Francesca—then a teenager, now the duchess of Parma, and still in love with Casanova—just happens to live nearby. To prevent another duel, the duke blackmails the legendary womanizer: either he seduces Francesca, breaks her heart and leaves, thereby curing her of the "infection" that is Casanova, or he risks being killed or turned in to the authorities. The fervent colloquy echoes the centerpiece tête-à-tête that structures Embers
, Márai's only other novel to be translated into English. Unlike Embers
, however, this book fizzles out; an austere and poignant exposition on the inexorability of fate that has been building for over 200 pages collapses into an intolerably tedious, long-winded rant by Francesca as she tries to persuade Casanova to run away with her. The harangue makes it hard to believe that anyone would fight over her and makes the reader wonder why another Márai (1900–1989) work was not translated before this one. (Nov. 11)

Forecast:
The 75,000 first printing may be ambitious, but a small trim size and elegant jacket make this a nice-looking Christmas pick.

July 1, 2004
Having been rediscovered with Embers, Marai, born in Austro-Hungary in 1900, returns with a reimagining of Casanova.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2004
After 16 months in an Inquisition jail, Casanova crashes in the South Tyrol town of Bolzano, and within days he is back to his legendary exploits: borrowing, gambling, and, of course, seducing. Enter an aged duke--who years ago banished the lover, bleeding from his heart, after a duel over the lovely Francesca--with an indecent proposal. Spend a night with her, the duke asks Casanova, and then hurt her, so she will finally forget her unrequited love and remember her wealthy husband instead. But is it really as easy to forget as it is to seduce? And what does the seducer really know about love, anyhow? The second of Marai's rediscovered Hungarian jewels to be translated into English, this selection builds to an intimate, deliberate climax that showcases the author's considerable psychological discernment in matters of the heart. It also sneaks in just a pinch of clever modernist commentary on writing, performance, and personal duplicity. Captivating, lyrical, and, yes, seductive.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)