Giacomo Casanova most famous and representative citizen. Casanova was cared for by his grandmother Marzia Baldissera while his mother toured about Europe in the theater. His father died when he was eight. As a child, Casanova suffered nosebleeds, and his grandmother sought help from a witch: "Leaving the gondola, we enter a hovel, where we find an old woman sitting on a pallet, with a black cat in her arms and five or six others around her." Though the unguent applied was ineffective, Casanova was fascinated by the incantation. Perhaps to remedy the nosebleeds (a physician blamed the density of Venice's air),
Casanova (novel) gives more scope to his own proven powers of imagination in his next book.". Casanova (novel) Casanova is the second novel by English author, Andrew Miller, released on 3 September 1998 through Sceptre. The novel was relatively well received by reviewers and was shortlisted for an Encore Award in 1999. Set in 1763, this novel centres round the historical figure of Giacomo Casanova and loosely follows his autobiographical "Histoire de ma vie". The plot of the novel concerns Casanova falling for a woman and having, for the first time, to deal with rejection and the pain which it causes him.