Story Of My Escape

Casanova's best-seller, and my most popular work to date

Europe's greatest adventurer. Thrown into an escape-proof prison for a crime he probably committed. The question is, which crime? 

In 1755, the infamous Giacomo Casanova was locked up without trial in Venice's notorious Leads prison. Over 15 months he battled disease, madness, boredom, grotesque gaolers, bad books and fellow prisoners, before attempting the most audacious and typically flamboyant escape in history. 

This is Casanova's own account of the escape bid that made him a celebrity across Europe, full of his unique wit and philosophy, translated into English in full for the first time.

I translated Casanova's Histoire de ma fuite... at the initial suggestion of Kate Orman, back in 2009. Finally self-published in January 2014 after two flirtations with contracts (one publisher walked away due to a schedule clash, and I walked away from another who promptly went bust), this book showcases the notorious 18th Century womaniser Casanova... at a time in his life when he was in no position to do any womanising, imprisoned in the lead-lined cells in the roof of the Doge's Palace in Venice.

It's my biggest-selling work to date, and a brilliant book. Casanova is an intensely witty, intelligent, resourceful, and occasionally ruthless man. Whether he's being driven mad by reading a bad book, pretending he doesn't know why he's been imprisoned, or reflecting on how stressful situations make him want to do a wee, Casanova's narration makes a page-turning read out of a book about a bloke sitting in a cell for fifteen months.

The Story Of My Escape, complete with its brilliant cover design by Lawston Design, is available in paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon.