CASANOVA IN BOLZANO

In this forgotten historical novel by a nearly forgotten Hungarian novelist, the notorious seducer Casanova fought and lost a duel with an Italian duke over their mutual inamorata, one of the few maidens who successfully resisted Casanova's advances. Now a fugitive, Casanova returns incognito to have it out with the duke and his duchess, an escapade with mortal consequences. In this translation from the Hungarian, this satiric novel spoofs the excessiveness of its hero's amorous connoisseurship. British narrator Richard Matthews amusingly captures the low humor and quixotic passions, but there's considerable wit here that escapes him, plus overwritten passages that few narrators could overcome. Y.R. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 05]