France buys Casanova's memoirs
Source: Agencies |
February 21, 2010, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FRANCE'S national library has bought the memoirs of celebrated Venetian lover Giacomo Casanova that were initially thought to have perished at the end of World War II.
The 3,700 fading yellow pages of Casanova's "Histoire de Ma Vie" ("Story of My Life") were discovered in a dozen boxes which had been transferred to a safe just days before the allied bombing of Germany in 1945.
"Leipzig was bombed but the boxes were discovered in the basement of the bank where they were being kept. They were in good shape," said Marie-Laure Prevost, curator of Bibliotheque Nationale de France.
"Everyone at that time was touched when this manuscript was found. Even Churchill asked whether it survived the bombing," added Prevost. France's national library paid around 7 million euros (US$9.5 million) for the memoirs, which Casanova started in 1789.
"The Casanova manuscripts are the most important purchase ever made by the library," said director Bruno Racine.
The 3,700 fading yellow pages of Casanova's "Histoire de Ma Vie" ("Story of My Life") were discovered in a dozen boxes which had been transferred to a safe just days before the allied bombing of Germany in 1945.
"Leipzig was bombed but the boxes were discovered in the basement of the bank where they were being kept. They were in good shape," said Marie-Laure Prevost, curator of Bibliotheque Nationale de France.
"Everyone at that time was touched when this manuscript was found. Even Churchill asked whether it survived the bombing," added Prevost. France's national library paid around 7 million euros (US$9.5 million) for the memoirs, which Casanova started in 1789.
"The Casanova manuscripts are the most important purchase ever made by the library," said director Bruno Racine.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
