A Venetian Affair: A true story of impossible love in the eighteenth century - Softcover

Andrea Di Robilant

Softcover

ISBN 10: 184115542X ISBN 13: 9781841155425

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2005

Synopsis

The true story of forbidden love in eighteenth-century Venice between an Italian noble and the brilliant, illegitimate daughter of an English baronet.

In 1754 Andrea Memmo, the dashing and gifted scion of a distinguished catholic family, fell in love with illegitimate English beauty, Giustiniana Wynne. This match went against every convention of their day; it was an 'impossible love'.

The lovers chased each other through peeling palazzos, ballrooms, salons, theatres and gambling dens, rubbing shoulders with legendary figures such as Canaletto and their friend, Casanova. Increasingly desperate, they decided Giustiniana should marry to conceal their relationship. A summer passed in flirting with the English Consul, Joseph Smith, but he soon saw through the deception and the affair became public.

The consequences were disastrous. Casanova was imprisoned for his 'pernicious' influence. Disgraced, Giustiniana left for Paris, where she launched herself into society in the hunt for a new husband. Her love for Memmo had lingering consequences that were to break this match, and she left again for London, hoping to build a new life, but a different fate lay in store...

Andrea di Robilant is Andrea Memmo’s great great great grandson. The idea to write A Venetian Affair was planted when his father discovered Andrea's letters to Giustiniana mouldering in the attic of the family's crumbling Venetian palazzo. His father's violent murder inspired di Robilant to fulfil his father's dream to write about the lovers, and this fascinating, romantic tale is the result of di Robilant’s dedication and passion.

About this title

Review

It's hard to imagine a more romantic real-life story than the long and forbidden love affair of the 18th-century Venetian nobleman Andrea Memmo and a half-English beauty named Giustiniana Wynne. Andrea Di Robilant's A Venetian Affair is drawn in part from a cache of letters discovered by the author's father in his ancestral palazzo on the Grand Canal. In 1753, his ancestor Andrea Memmo had been introduced to a lovely girl of uncertain station (illegitimate, although her parents later married). The Wynnes' position was precarious enough in Venice's rigid society, and Giustiniana's mother took every step to prevent the young aristocrat from corrupting her daughter. But the two lovers began to meet in secret: exchanging letters through confederates and communicating in public through an elaborate code of nods and gestures. They even came within a few days of being married before further dark revelations about Giustiniana's family put a permanent end to their hopes. Although Memmo went on to have an illustrious career in the dying Venetian Republic, it is Giustiniana's astonishing later life that really captures the reader. A Venetian Affair provides both a rich picture of the times--including cameo appearances by Casanova--and a convincing account of an enduring passion. --Regina Marler, Amazon.com

Review

‘A sensitive reading of an enthralling love story ... The sense of Andrea di Robilant’s affectionate commitment to his father’s subject adds indefinable poignancy to his evocation of an impossible relationship.’ Daily Telegraph

‘Supple and elegant a stylist as he is, Robilant never allows his own enjoyment in unfolding this long-hidden narrative to upstage the raw drama of the correspondence forming its backbone ... The whole passionate correspondence, to which A Venetian Affair presents such a finely balanced introduction, is a thrilling addition to the corpus of eighteenth-century letter writing.’ TLS

‘Set against the backdrop of a glittering city sloping towards collapse and the debauched courts of Europe, with cameo appearances by characters such as Casanova, A Venetian Affair has all the compelling, over-the-top inevitability of opera.’ Daily Mail

‘A sad, enthralling book ... Fascinating.’ Sunday Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 184115542X
• ISBN 13: 9781841155425
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336