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Der letzte Alchemist.
Betr. auch den Aufenthalt Cagliostros in Basel.
331 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2003
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388 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
September 19, 2014
In _The Last Alchemist_ Iain McCalman takes a look at the life and times of the self-proclaimed ‘Count Alessandro Cagliostro’, one of the most famous (or infamous) of the occult adventurers of the 18th century. I’ve always had an interest in these intriguing figures: men who combined elements of the grifter, the priest, and the sorcerer in nearly equal measure in order to take advantage of the mania for the occult, especially as it grew out of freemasonry, that was sweeping across the Europe of the day. The book is presented as a non-fiction biography of the man born Guiseppe Balsamo in Palermo and who, though guile, street smarts, and sheer force of will, transformed himself into a variety of guises - from street tough, to military officer and diplomat, to aristocratic cabbalist.
I say that the book is “presented as a non-fiction biography” due to the approach McCalman takes with his text. While ostensibly non-fiction the text is written almost like a fictional novel (though it is a given that its main character is one worthy of such treatment). I don’t mean to impugn the veracity of any of the bare facts of Balsamo’s life as McCalman narrates them, but I often felt that he was somewhat free with his interpretation of them. One example is the way in which McCalman seems to take examples of Cagliostro’s apparent occult powers at face value, or at least makes no attempt at explaining them away rationally. Whether he discusses an apparently miraculous act of healing (many of which seem to have occurred), a séance to commune with the spirit world, or a prediction that seems to come true McCalman simply states the ‘facts’ and never asks what might actually be behind them. Perhaps this is simply academic rigour on his part: we have no idea how or why certain things appeared to confirm Cagliostro’s vaunted claims, so it is best not to speculate. Also adding to the ‘fictional’ aspect of the narrative is the fact that McCalman often speaks on behalf of his ‘characters’ by putting words in their mouths or thoughts in their heads. They may be perfectly suitable words or thoughts based on the context, but it still seemed a little free. It makes for an entertaining story that moves at a quick pace, but it also led me to wonder if he is was approaching the subject as a scholar or something closer to an apologist.
As we follow the adventurous life of Guiseppe Balsamo from the slums of Palermo to the palaces and drawing rooms of European nobility we are given the picture of a man of contradictions: was this former street tough merely a talented con man and sometimes violent criminal, or was he a true believer in the theories and powers which he ascribed to himself? Was he a product of his times or an antidote to them? How does one explain the cult of personality that grew up around such an unlikely centre, a cult that seemed based as much on what he was able to accomplish as what he promised?
McCalman tackles Balsamo/Cagliostro’s life by separating it into phases, each of which is given a separate chapter with a title that denotes the role he sees Balsamo filling at the time: Freemason, Necromancer, Shaman, etc. Sometimes these distinctions seem a little forced, but they help to give further structure to the narrative. We see how a young man with a penchant for chemistry and art, as well as a flair for the dramatic, parlayed these things into becoming a famed healer, spirit medium, alchemist, and freemason (not to mention con man, forger and supposed political radical). One of the most fascinating aspects of Cagliostro’s life is the relationship, both personal and professional, that he appears to have had with his wife Seraphina. Not only was she aware of his apparent subterfuges, she took an active part in them…a part that many would find both strange and distasteful. It appears as though Cagliostro willingly, and frequently, prostituted his wife to interested parties in order to gain their favour and influence. It does not appear that after whatever initial methods he used to encourage this behaviour that Seraphina seems to have minded. How do we explain this man’s willingness to prostitute his wife? Was her own apparent complicity due to acceptance or even desire on her part or was she forced into this by the realities of the time or the brutality of her husband? They certainly appear to have had a very complicated relationship as evidenced by the final role she played in his downfall. We also get interesting glimpses of numerous historical personages whose lives intersected with Cagliostro’s from Catherine the Great to that other famed rogue and adventurer Casanova.
Ultimately this was an interesting book and a fun read. I don’t know if I’d recommend it as the definitive academic study of the man of contradictions who called himself Count Cagliostro, but it gives a good overview of his life and times, with special attention given to the fervour for occultism and freemasonry that characterized the period.
I say that the book is “presented as a non-fiction biography” due to the approach McCalman takes with his text. While ostensibly non-fiction the text is written almost like a fictional novel (though it is a given that its main character is one worthy of such treatment). I don’t mean to impugn the veracity of any of the bare facts of Balsamo’s life as McCalman narrates them, but I often felt that he was somewhat free with his interpretation of them. One example is the way in which McCalman seems to take examples of Cagliostro’s apparent occult powers at face value, or at least makes no attempt at explaining them away rationally. Whether he discusses an apparently miraculous act of healing (many of which seem to have occurred), a séance to commune with the spirit world, or a prediction that seems to come true McCalman simply states the ‘facts’ and never asks what might actually be behind them. Perhaps this is simply academic rigour on his part: we have no idea how or why certain things appeared to confirm Cagliostro’s vaunted claims, so it is best not to speculate. Also adding to the ‘fictional’ aspect of the narrative is the fact that McCalman often speaks on behalf of his ‘characters’ by putting words in their mouths or thoughts in their heads. They may be perfectly suitable words or thoughts based on the context, but it still seemed a little free. It makes for an entertaining story that moves at a quick pace, but it also led me to wonder if he is was approaching the subject as a scholar or something closer to an apologist.
As we follow the adventurous life of Guiseppe Balsamo from the slums of Palermo to the palaces and drawing rooms of European nobility we are given the picture of a man of contradictions: was this former street tough merely a talented con man and sometimes violent criminal, or was he a true believer in the theories and powers which he ascribed to himself? Was he a product of his times or an antidote to them? How does one explain the cult of personality that grew up around such an unlikely centre, a cult that seemed based as much on what he was able to accomplish as what he promised?
McCalman tackles Balsamo/Cagliostro’s life by separating it into phases, each of which is given a separate chapter with a title that denotes the role he sees Balsamo filling at the time: Freemason, Necromancer, Shaman, etc. Sometimes these distinctions seem a little forced, but they help to give further structure to the narrative. We see how a young man with a penchant for chemistry and art, as well as a flair for the dramatic, parlayed these things into becoming a famed healer, spirit medium, alchemist, and freemason (not to mention con man, forger and supposed political radical). One of the most fascinating aspects of Cagliostro’s life is the relationship, both personal and professional, that he appears to have had with his wife Seraphina. Not only was she aware of his apparent subterfuges, she took an active part in them…a part that many would find both strange and distasteful. It appears as though Cagliostro willingly, and frequently, prostituted his wife to interested parties in order to gain their favour and influence. It does not appear that after whatever initial methods he used to encourage this behaviour that Seraphina seems to have minded. How do we explain this man’s willingness to prostitute his wife? Was her own apparent complicity due to acceptance or even desire on her part or was she forced into this by the realities of the time or the brutality of her husband? They certainly appear to have had a very complicated relationship as evidenced by the final role she played in his downfall. We also get interesting glimpses of numerous historical personages whose lives intersected with Cagliostro’s from Catherine the Great to that other famed rogue and adventurer Casanova.
Ultimately this was an interesting book and a fun read. I don’t know if I’d recommend it as the definitive academic study of the man of contradictions who called himself Count Cagliostro, but it gives a good overview of his life and times, with special attention given to the fervour for occultism and freemasonry that characterized the period.
February 8, 2008
This, on the other hand, was excellent! MacCalman, who makes no bones about his fascination with Giuseppe Balsamo, AKA Count Cagliostro, has crafted a fascinating biography that has all the pacing and suspense of a good novel. Cagliostro has been an enigma since he first gained celebrity in 18th century Europe. He was a charlatan, a greedy swindler, a lech, and he had an ego to put Rush Limbaugh to shame. He was also a surprisingly astute healer who freely shared his nostrums and knowledge of healing with the poor, and who frequently made eerily accurate prophesies. Together with his beautiful wife Seraphina, he became embroiled in just about every secret society and conspiracy theory the 18th century had to offer. MacCalman manages to give a historically factual portrait of the man behind the myth without completely dispelling the romance and intrigue surrounding him. He was an odious man, and Seraphina was little better, but upon finishing this book I still found myself fascinated and not a little awed by his achievements.
July 4, 2009
A solid and entertaining account of Guiseppe Balsamo, self-styled Count Cagliostro, charlatan, magician, healer, adventurer, Freemason and populist radical.
McCalman's book has the virtue of placing him within the right context as an important minor player in the unstable pre-revolutionary politics of eighteenth century Europe where command of the mob and of intrigue within courts were two sides of the same coin of influence. A slip too far in either direction could cost a man his liberty or his life.
Cagliostro's life is one of those examples (a theme of many of our reviews and our writings elsewhere) of how history must be reconstructed from gaps in the official record as much as from the facts that are available. McCalman keeps his feet on the ground throughout. The result is a quite impressive and readable addition to the literature of eighteenth century political culture.
His final brutal treatment at the hands of the Vatican is inexplicable unless you take seriously his potential to mobilise the Parisian and indeed the European mob against traditional values. Freemasonry in this period was not clubbability for the middle classes as it is today but a movement of cultural resistance that we may now understand much better in an age of 'leaderless resistance' strategies against the system amongst insurgents and insurrectionists.
The French Revolution and the consequent vicious reaction which led to the conspiracy theories of Abbe Barruel about Freemasons grew out of an atmosphere of liberal and radical protest to dynasticism and 'ignorance' that really did lead to radical change. Freemasonry and its associated liberalisms were as dangerous then as Islamism and its associated irrationalisms are today, at least in the perceptions of that perennial personality type in politics, the security-minded hardliner charged with defending the ruling order from Washington to Tehran, from St. Petersburg to Rome.
Just as today if an Islamist or 'extremist' steps over a line, any means seems to be permissible to bring them to heel (a message equally apposite in the FBI's treatment of Dillinger as a 'criminal' challenge to the prevailing order in the current Mann-Depp-Bale film 'Public Enemies') so Cagliostro stepped over that line in the 1780s. Any means were then regarded as permissible to take him off the chess board when the crisis came.
It was no accident that he was seized in 1789 in Italy as the Papacy watched the French Revolution unfold or that two years after his death in jail in 1795 the incoming French-commanded liberatory Polish Legion, according to legend, ordered his bones dug up and drank to his memory with wine from his whitened skull.
McCalman does not spend too much time analysing the man and his time. What he does is provide a sensible. highly readable and cohesive narrative that allows us to make up our own minds about this curious figure who contained in equal measure his own charlatan and semi-criminal aspects to match those of the dynastic flummery amongst which he lived and the sort of universalist ideals that are now the dominant ideology (almost to excess) of the modern European Union.
McCalman's book has the virtue of placing him within the right context as an important minor player in the unstable pre-revolutionary politics of eighteenth century Europe where command of the mob and of intrigue within courts were two sides of the same coin of influence. A slip too far in either direction could cost a man his liberty or his life.
Cagliostro's life is one of those examples (a theme of many of our reviews and our writings elsewhere) of how history must be reconstructed from gaps in the official record as much as from the facts that are available. McCalman keeps his feet on the ground throughout. The result is a quite impressive and readable addition to the literature of eighteenth century political culture.
His final brutal treatment at the hands of the Vatican is inexplicable unless you take seriously his potential to mobilise the Parisian and indeed the European mob against traditional values. Freemasonry in this period was not clubbability for the middle classes as it is today but a movement of cultural resistance that we may now understand much better in an age of 'leaderless resistance' strategies against the system amongst insurgents and insurrectionists.
The French Revolution and the consequent vicious reaction which led to the conspiracy theories of Abbe Barruel about Freemasons grew out of an atmosphere of liberal and radical protest to dynasticism and 'ignorance' that really did lead to radical change. Freemasonry and its associated liberalisms were as dangerous then as Islamism and its associated irrationalisms are today, at least in the perceptions of that perennial personality type in politics, the security-minded hardliner charged with defending the ruling order from Washington to Tehran, from St. Petersburg to Rome.
Just as today if an Islamist or 'extremist' steps over a line, any means seems to be permissible to bring them to heel (a message equally apposite in the FBI's treatment of Dillinger as a 'criminal' challenge to the prevailing order in the current Mann-Depp-Bale film 'Public Enemies') so Cagliostro stepped over that line in the 1780s. Any means were then regarded as permissible to take him off the chess board when the crisis came.
It was no accident that he was seized in 1789 in Italy as the Papacy watched the French Revolution unfold or that two years after his death in jail in 1795 the incoming French-commanded liberatory Polish Legion, according to legend, ordered his bones dug up and drank to his memory with wine from his whitened skull.
McCalman does not spend too much time analysing the man and his time. What he does is provide a sensible. highly readable and cohesive narrative that allows us to make up our own minds about this curious figure who contained in equal measure his own charlatan and semi-criminal aspects to match those of the dynastic flummery amongst which he lived and the sort of universalist ideals that are now the dominant ideology (almost to excess) of the modern European Union.
November 7, 2024
Der Autor „spricht“ ständig im Namen der Charaktere. Es ist ein non-fictional Book, wird aber größtenteils wie eins geschrieben. Das Buch ist interessant, allerdings kann man es nicht als „Biografie“ bezeichnen, es wird nichts hinterfragt und manche historischen Aspekte sind falsch. Zudem springt er manchmal in den Texten und schweift von der eigentlichen Hauptperson ab, der Anfang war deswegen sehr schleppend.
September 25, 2020
The 18th century is my favourite hunting ground....and now I have an eye on Count Cagliostro, the flamboyant occultist, some also say: charlatan, others say: visionary. Shaman, prophet, freemason, seducer? That too!
Iain McCalman biography of Count Cagliostro is a wonderful character study of the famous and rather controversial count.
Iain McCalman biography of Count Cagliostro is a wonderful character study of the famous and rather controversial count.
May 9, 2024
i actually liked it!!
(not me saying this when it sent me into a 2 month reading slump and was the cause of deprivation from my lifeline-my beloved books)
(not me saying this when it sent me into a 2 month reading slump and was the cause of deprivation from my lifeline-my beloved books)
August 15, 2020
Many, many, years ago the Italian school kindled my interest for History, a powerful vaccine against liars and charlatans. I’m fascinated by the tradition of magic and occultism that walk besides the more known trail of the European culture. Moreover I need reading to improve my English, which is far from good. In both these aspects the book seemed very promising.
Since the beginning I was a surprised by the style, prone to sensationalism and the predictable easy effect to impress the audience. It seems closer to the articles of a gossip magazine, rather than a history book.
Then I start to stumble into a myriad of historical errors, almost grotesque, two examples:
• The writer said that the order of the Templars was "brutally suppressed" by the Pope. In more authoritative books, you can find that the Templars were arrested and tried by Philip the Handsome, king of France, and the Pope desperately tried to save them.
• The author claims that “Francesco di Morosoni” granted the amnesty to Casanova. Years ago I read the book written by Casanova about his escape from prison and exile, and he never mentioned “Morosoni”. This probably because Francesco Morosini (not Morosoni) was doge of Venice and died in 1694, much before the birth of Casanova in 1725.
At this point I stopped reading. This is enough to understand that the book is not giving any reliable information about Cagliostro. I’m only a software engineer, so, can you imagine the quantity of errors that a historian can spot!
I don’t know why the book is so full of fabrications. My first impression is that the writer just heard about names, places and historical facts in some lazy conversations. Then he mixed all these information as ingredients in order to create a flavoured story easy to sell and completely devoid of any historical accuracy. Probably he is trying to express his political opinions, and when the reality is not conforming to his vision, he is changing the reality according to his desires and dreams.
For sure, the only real swindler and magician described in the book his Iain McCalman himself.
I’m going to buy another book to satisfy my curiosity.
Since the beginning I was a surprised by the style, prone to sensationalism and the predictable easy effect to impress the audience. It seems closer to the articles of a gossip magazine, rather than a history book.
Then I start to stumble into a myriad of historical errors, almost grotesque, two examples:
• The writer said that the order of the Templars was "brutally suppressed" by the Pope. In more authoritative books, you can find that the Templars were arrested and tried by Philip the Handsome, king of France, and the Pope desperately tried to save them.
• The author claims that “Francesco di Morosoni” granted the amnesty to Casanova. Years ago I read the book written by Casanova about his escape from prison and exile, and he never mentioned “Morosoni”. This probably because Francesco Morosini (not Morosoni) was doge of Venice and died in 1694, much before the birth of Casanova in 1725.
At this point I stopped reading. This is enough to understand that the book is not giving any reliable information about Cagliostro. I’m only a software engineer, so, can you imagine the quantity of errors that a historian can spot!
I don’t know why the book is so full of fabrications. My first impression is that the writer just heard about names, places and historical facts in some lazy conversations. Then he mixed all these information as ingredients in order to create a flavoured story easy to sell and completely devoid of any historical accuracy. Probably he is trying to express his political opinions, and when the reality is not conforming to his vision, he is changing the reality according to his desires and dreams.
For sure, the only real swindler and magician described in the book his Iain McCalman himself.
I’m going to buy another book to satisfy my curiosity.
November 9, 2015
Agreeably cheesy popular biography that arrived recently at the intersection of my Sicily and magic obsessions. I learned about Count Cagliostro, born Giuseppe Balsamo in Palermo, from Mack Smith's
History of Sicily
, and while the mid-18th-century Freemason and thaumaturge isn't himself mentioned by Ricky Jay, this erstwhile pimp and forger who dazzled the Thrones and Dominions of Europe is clearly the antecedent of some of the psychic swindlers and mountebanks who people
Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women
. It's a little odd that I hadn't heard of Cagliostro before this year. He was a pioneer 'celebrity' - one of the most famous figures of his age, an uomo di popolo who staged free 'clinics' for the poor in a succession of European cities while simultaneously insinuating himself among the ruling cognoscenti. Mozart created the Egyptian hierophant Sarastro in The Magic Flute as a stand in for Cagliostro, self-appointed 'Grand Copt' of the 'Egyptian Rite' of Freemasonry. Many allege that the Sicilian adventurer was essential to precipitating the French Revolution by undermining received wisdom with his Masonic freethinking and through his tangential involvement in "The Affair of the Diamond Necklace." He inspired a ten-volume novel by Dumas and essays by Thomas Carlyle and Walter Benjamin and he was played
on screen
by Orson Welles. Like Sade, Cagliostro has been an icon for centuries of the irrational underbelly of the Enlightenment. If McCalman is to be believed, every modern conspiracy theorist, to say nothing of every televangelist and Internet psychic, owes this brilliant, mystical swindler a huge intellectual debt.
April 20, 2008
Giuseppe Balsamo, born in the slums of Palermo in Sicily in 1743, re-invented himself as the self-styled Count Cagliostro and within a few years had become the sensation of the age. Healer, mystic, prophet, Freemason and alchemist, he was also a liar, a thief and an adventurer. Was he nothing more than a charlatan, as his enemies - including another famous adventurer, Casanova, claimed – or was he something more? The fact that Iain McCalman’s book The Seven Ordeals of Count Cagliostro doesn’t come up with a definitive answer to this question probably says more about Cagliostro himself that it does about Mr McCalman’s skills as an author. Cagliostro cultivated an air of mystery, and he aroused such passions among both friend and foe that it is obviously difficult to separate truth from polemic. Whatever the truth, it was an eventful life. He aroused the ire of the Empress of Russia, Catherine the Great, and helped to fuel her growing hatred of Freemasonry. He became involved in a notorious fraud that earned him the undying loathing of Marie-Antoinette. He ended his life in a papal dungeon, condemned by the Inquisition as a heretic and feared as a fomenter of revolution. Within his own lifetime Cagliostro had become a legend, and he has continued to fascinate historians and thinkers ever since (including Thomas Carlyle and more recently Umberto Eco). His life has been the subject of several movies. McCalman’s book is a lively and entertaining account of Cagliostro’s chequered career.
August 26, 2018
Excellent history and narrative of Count Cogliostro, highly readable.
January 15, 2023
I'm not sure whether this is an academic biography or a part-fictionalised work - it almost appears to be both. Yet what I wanted to know about Count Cagliostro wasn't really realised.
I first came across the Count when watching The Affair of the Necklace - a fictional tale of the incredible necklace made for Louis XV's mistress Madame Du Barry, but due to the King's death from smallpox the jewelers tried to sell it to Marie Antoinette without success. However devious forces combined to make it appear as if the Queen wanted the diamonds whilst swindling them out of the jewelers hands - was one of the swindlers Count Cagliostro? This book suggests not though other books have suggested that as Europe's foremost charlatan of the time this was just small fry to him.
But I wanted to know more of his magic, his gift for prophecy (he is attributed as having foreseen the French Revolution and the Terror and rise of Napoleon), his cures for illnesses etc, and it didn't deliver enough information of this. Whilst going into huge details about his Freemasonry.
So all in all an interesting book but didn't give me what I wanted.
I first came across the Count when watching The Affair of the Necklace - a fictional tale of the incredible necklace made for Louis XV's mistress Madame Du Barry, but due to the King's death from smallpox the jewelers tried to sell it to Marie Antoinette without success. However devious forces combined to make it appear as if the Queen wanted the diamonds whilst swindling them out of the jewelers hands - was one of the swindlers Count Cagliostro? This book suggests not though other books have suggested that as Europe's foremost charlatan of the time this was just small fry to him.
But I wanted to know more of his magic, his gift for prophecy (he is attributed as having foreseen the French Revolution and the Terror and rise of Napoleon), his cures for illnesses etc, and it didn't deliver enough information of this. Whilst going into huge details about his Freemasonry.
So all in all an interesting book but didn't give me what I wanted.
May 28, 2017
The chapter by chapter stories of Count Cagliostro's life were not as interesting as I wanted them to be, unfortunately. His place in and effects on history were much more engaging, but were only really touched upon in the first and last chapters.
So overall not my favorite book, but I do feel like I have learned more about how 1700s Europe looked and acted. My view of world history is getting clearer.
So overall not my favorite book, but I do feel like I have learned more about how 1700s Europe looked and acted. My view of world history is getting clearer.
February 16, 2022
This was an enjoyable if somewhat shallow look at the famous Cagliostro. He was certainly a swindler and a conman but this work dismisses out of hand any notion that he might have been part of a real revolutionary moment spreading through Europe. So many parallels to that other famous conman Aleister Crowley and his OTO banging around Europe at another revolutionary moment.
Made me want to read Barruel's slandered work and all Carlyle wrote about him.
Made me want to read Barruel's slandered work and all Carlyle wrote about him.
November 28, 2018
Výborná kniha, pojednávající o postavě hraběte Cagliostra, který stál u zrodu Francouzské revoluce. Autor čtenáře podrobně seznamuje s Cagliostrovým životem a jeho činy, které zasazuje do dobového kontextu. Díky diachronní perspektivě si čtenář udělá obrázek o velmi důležité postavě západního světa a její roli v dějinách.
December 10, 2021
A dazzling shaman - a protean chancer - from the Venice of The North to the Pozzetto
December 14, 2021
For my interests and purposes, this was fantastic. If you are interested in the adventurers, occultists, and con-men of the 1700s, this is the book for you.
January 14, 2022
I only got to page 40 and realized I this book has not grab my interest. This book goes back to the library.
March 25, 2024
An extremely interesting read about a little known figure who changed how Europeans saw faith, religion and their own shortcomings.
"The Seven Ordeals of Count Cagliostro" by Iain McCalman presents a captivating exploration of the life and legend of one of history's most enigmatic figures, Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. McCalman skilfully weaves together historical research, cultural analysis, and narrative storytelling to unravel the complex tapestry of Cagliostro's life, revealing the man behind the myth.
At the heart of the book are the seven pivotal moments—ordeals—that shaped Cagliostro's extraordinary journey. From his humble beginnings in Sicily to his rise as a charismatic magician and healer in 18th-century Europe, each ordeal offers a window into Cagliostro's character, motivations, and ambitions.
McCalman's prose is both evocative and scholarly, transporting readers to the vibrant world of Enlightenment-era Europe, where Cagliostro's audacious exploits captured the imagination of kings and commoners alike. Through meticulous research and thoughtful analysis, McCalman deftly navigates the murky waters of Cagliostro's life, separating fact from fiction and shedding light on the political, social, and cultural forces that shaped his destiny.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its nuanced portrayal of Cagliostro as a complex and multifaceted figure. Far from being a mere charlatan or con artist, McCalman presents Cagliostro as a product of his time—a man of boundless ambition, extraordinary talent, and profound contradictions. By delving into Cagliostro's relationships, beliefs, and motivations, McCalman offers readers a deeper understanding of the man behind the mystique.
Moreover, "The Seven Ordeals of Count Cagliostro" is more than just a biography; it is a meditation on the nature of truth, belief, and the power of myth. McCalman invites readers to ponder timeless questions about the human condition and the allure of the unknown, prompting reflection on the ways in which we construct our own identities and narratives.
In conclusion, "The Seven Ordeals of Count Cagliostro" is a masterful work of historical biography that illuminates the life and legacy of a fascinating figure from the past. McCalman's meticulous research, engaging narrative style, and thoughtful analysis make this book a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of history, culture, and human psychology.
"The Seven Ordeals of Count Cagliostro" by Iain McCalman presents a captivating exploration of the life and legend of one of history's most enigmatic figures, Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. McCalman skilfully weaves together historical research, cultural analysis, and narrative storytelling to unravel the complex tapestry of Cagliostro's life, revealing the man behind the myth.
At the heart of the book are the seven pivotal moments—ordeals—that shaped Cagliostro's extraordinary journey. From his humble beginnings in Sicily to his rise as a charismatic magician and healer in 18th-century Europe, each ordeal offers a window into Cagliostro's character, motivations, and ambitions.
McCalman's prose is both evocative and scholarly, transporting readers to the vibrant world of Enlightenment-era Europe, where Cagliostro's audacious exploits captured the imagination of kings and commoners alike. Through meticulous research and thoughtful analysis, McCalman deftly navigates the murky waters of Cagliostro's life, separating fact from fiction and shedding light on the political, social, and cultural forces that shaped his destiny.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its nuanced portrayal of Cagliostro as a complex and multifaceted figure. Far from being a mere charlatan or con artist, McCalman presents Cagliostro as a product of his time—a man of boundless ambition, extraordinary talent, and profound contradictions. By delving into Cagliostro's relationships, beliefs, and motivations, McCalman offers readers a deeper understanding of the man behind the mystique.
Moreover, "The Seven Ordeals of Count Cagliostro" is more than just a biography; it is a meditation on the nature of truth, belief, and the power of myth. McCalman invites readers to ponder timeless questions about the human condition and the allure of the unknown, prompting reflection on the ways in which we construct our own identities and narratives.
In conclusion, "The Seven Ordeals of Count Cagliostro" is a masterful work of historical biography that illuminates the life and legacy of a fascinating figure from the past. McCalman's meticulous research, engaging narrative style, and thoughtful analysis make this book a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of history, culture, and human psychology.
February 22, 2024
Cagliostro lived a wild life, starting as a petty con artist, bouncing all across Europe from Latvia to London, and attracting a following of thousands. I had often heard of him in the context of Egyptian-themed varieties of Freemasonry, but I didn't realize what a sensation he caused in his own time. McCalman's lively narration does justice to this bizarre story.
The story is told from something of an outsider's perspective. Cagliostro's constant lies about himself make him worthless as a source of information on his own state of mind, and the only person who really knew him, his long-suffering wife and co-conspirator Serafina, was rarely, if ever, in a position to give an honest account. Therefore, McCalman must describe Cagliostro largely through the wildly varying impressions of the people he interacted with. Perhaps because that makes for an interesting puzzle, McCalman seems to find Cagliostro, as a person, more interesting than I do. To me he seems to fit a personality profile that has become depressingly familiar from stories of other charlatans and cult leaders: somebody who is strangely charismatic and compelling in person, yet thoroughly self-absorbed. The one thing I can say is that he does not seem to have been as cruel as many characters of that ilk.
Cagliostro is more interesting to me as a sort of culmination of various trends of his time. He feels similar to other rogues of the 18th century who ingratiated themselves with the aristocracy, such as Giovanni Casanova (whom he actually met more than once) or the purported immortal known as the Comte de Saint-Germain, yet he also imitated and hoped to co-opt the following of mystics such as Emmanuel Swedenborg and Franz Mesmer. On top of that combination, he added Freemasonry. Because Freemasonry had been claiming ancient Egyptian origins for half a century, but most Europeans knew very little about Egypt, Cagliostro was able to use his Sicilian complexion to pose as an Egyptian and claim to restore the genuine Egyptian form of Masonic rituals. And by selling nostrums and other services to the general public as well as appealing to aristocrats, Cagliostro embroiled himself in the growing class-based political disputes of pre-revolutionary Europe, though he seems to have been blind to the significance of these disputes until it was too late.
Cagliostro's most enduring impact was in the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, a failed scam that besmirched Marie Antoinette's reputation so badly that it is sometimes said to have triggered the French Revolution. It was a bizarre event in which Cagliostro was only tangentially involved, but because his popular appeal and questionable religious orthodoxy made the authorities suspicious of him, he received an inordinate share of the blame. And because Cagliostro's mishmash of ideologies included some brief contact with the anti-clerical, pro-Enlightenment organization known as the Bavarian Illuminati, his involvement in the affair provoked wild speculation that the Illuminati had engineered the revolution and all the convulsions it triggered across Europe. Yes, this absurd charlatan is responsible for the modern conspiracy theorist's belief that a sinister "Illuminati" pulls all the strings in our chaotic world.
McCalman doesn't have a whole lot of detail about the belief system Cagliostro devised. For a fuller description of it, see The Masonic Magician by Philipa Faulks and Robert Cooper.
The story is told from something of an outsider's perspective. Cagliostro's constant lies about himself make him worthless as a source of information on his own state of mind, and the only person who really knew him, his long-suffering wife and co-conspirator Serafina, was rarely, if ever, in a position to give an honest account. Therefore, McCalman must describe Cagliostro largely through the wildly varying impressions of the people he interacted with. Perhaps because that makes for an interesting puzzle, McCalman seems to find Cagliostro, as a person, more interesting than I do. To me he seems to fit a personality profile that has become depressingly familiar from stories of other charlatans and cult leaders: somebody who is strangely charismatic and compelling in person, yet thoroughly self-absorbed. The one thing I can say is that he does not seem to have been as cruel as many characters of that ilk.
Cagliostro is more interesting to me as a sort of culmination of various trends of his time. He feels similar to other rogues of the 18th century who ingratiated themselves with the aristocracy, such as Giovanni Casanova (whom he actually met more than once) or the purported immortal known as the Comte de Saint-Germain, yet he also imitated and hoped to co-opt the following of mystics such as Emmanuel Swedenborg and Franz Mesmer. On top of that combination, he added Freemasonry. Because Freemasonry had been claiming ancient Egyptian origins for half a century, but most Europeans knew very little about Egypt, Cagliostro was able to use his Sicilian complexion to pose as an Egyptian and claim to restore the genuine Egyptian form of Masonic rituals. And by selling nostrums and other services to the general public as well as appealing to aristocrats, Cagliostro embroiled himself in the growing class-based political disputes of pre-revolutionary Europe, though he seems to have been blind to the significance of these disputes until it was too late.
Cagliostro's most enduring impact was in the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, a failed scam that besmirched Marie Antoinette's reputation so badly that it is sometimes said to have triggered the French Revolution. It was a bizarre event in which Cagliostro was only tangentially involved, but because his popular appeal and questionable religious orthodoxy made the authorities suspicious of him, he received an inordinate share of the blame. And because Cagliostro's mishmash of ideologies included some brief contact with the anti-clerical, pro-Enlightenment organization known as the Bavarian Illuminati, his involvement in the affair provoked wild speculation that the Illuminati had engineered the revolution and all the convulsions it triggered across Europe. Yes, this absurd charlatan is responsible for the modern conspiracy theorist's belief that a sinister "Illuminati" pulls all the strings in our chaotic world.
McCalman doesn't have a whole lot of detail about the belief system Cagliostro devised. For a fuller description of it, see The Masonic Magician by Philipa Faulks and Robert Cooper.
January 23, 2025
Why do we perpetually glamorize misogynist conmen instead of those that make the world a better place? This is one such man. While talented in so many different aspects, he chose to live a life basically on the run, using his skills to manipulate and abuse all who entrusted him and making his wife a cohort.
October 21, 2013
This book demystifies the legend that is on the life of Giuseppe Balsamo (aka Count Cagliostro). IainMcCalman puts into perspective this character, which was neither a saint nor a demon, but he was a man with great qualities and great defects, who managed to create a legend that continues to this day, with staunch supporters and detractors, just Google "Cagliostro" to see what I mean.
Reading this biography, one sometimes feels repulsed by Balsamo, but sometimes sympathy. His adventurous life by several European countries traps us from the beginning, especially his most famous incident: "the diamond necklace affair".
Each chapter focuses on an episode that reflects some aspect of his contradictory personality: Freemason, necromancer, shaman, Coptic, prophet, rejuvenater and heretic, although we could add: malicious, brash, insolent, master of deception, fierce, cunning, artist, charlatan, etc.
In the last chapter , McCalmancaptures an intelligent analysis of the versions on the life of Cagliostro that have appeared since his death, along with the numerous books and films that he has been the source of, been the interest of such authors as Carlyle and Dumas or filmmakers like Orson Welles. For those interested in researching more about Cagliostro, this chapter alone is worth gold .
Arguably this is the best biography ever written on this character, with an extensive bibliography and an objective approach that presents a clear portrait of Balsamo , while inviting us to know more about his adventures.
Reading this biography, one sometimes feels repulsed by Balsamo, but sometimes sympathy. His adventurous life by several European countries traps us from the beginning, especially his most famous incident: "the diamond necklace affair".
Each chapter focuses on an episode that reflects some aspect of his contradictory personality: Freemason, necromancer, shaman, Coptic, prophet, rejuvenater and heretic, although we could add: malicious, brash, insolent, master of deception, fierce, cunning, artist, charlatan, etc.
In the last chapter , McCalmancaptures an intelligent analysis of the versions on the life of Cagliostro that have appeared since his death, along with the numerous books and films that he has been the source of, been the interest of such authors as Carlyle and Dumas or filmmakers like Orson Welles. For those interested in researching more about Cagliostro, this chapter alone is worth gold .
Arguably this is the best biography ever written on this character, with an extensive bibliography and an objective approach that presents a clear portrait of Balsamo , while inviting us to know more about his adventures.
September 5, 2012
This is my second time reading this book, the exploration of the fascinating, enigmatic Count Cagliostro - of many other names and just as many roles, from charlatan to spiritual guide. Rather than present a balanced, chronological biography, the book provides a wealth of setting, detail and strategically placed "snapshots" surrounding seven key episodes of Cagliostro's life. The years before and after these episodes are summarized in brief, interwoven when needed for context. Each chapter is about more than Cagliostro, although he is the star: one learns a great deal about his friends, victims, antagonists, kings, queens and luminaries, the social history of the times ...
There is very little dry about this book: it is presented with flourishes that sometimes resemble those of a gifted fiction writer. It is a joy to read, comprehensive without being dense, presenting its subject matter without apology - thoughtfully, but without trying to interpret too much for the reader.
Highly recommended, and not just as a biography of its subject. It does a great job of touching upon the period world and some of its central figures (Casanova, Catherine the Great), as well.
There is very little dry about this book: it is presented with flourishes that sometimes resemble those of a gifted fiction writer. It is a joy to read, comprehensive without being dense, presenting its subject matter without apology - thoughtfully, but without trying to interpret too much for the reader.
Highly recommended, and not just as a biography of its subject. It does a great job of touching upon the period world and some of its central figures (Casanova, Catherine the Great), as well.
August 29, 2017
This one was sitting in my shelf for awhile ,and as interesting as it was I almost wish I'd left it awhile longer. I think my main problem is that it felt less like a biography ,and more like an extended film synopsis with some historical background thrown in to set the scene. The author even throws a lifeline to the potential screenwriter by giving him a possible way for Caligostro to have escaped his confinement. There was a story circulating around Europe that Caligostro killed his confessor, escaped his prison and was at large in Europe somewhere. I can easily imagine the movie based on his life ending on this very ambiguous note of whether or not our hero survived. If a movie can be based on this book it will one of those rare instances where in all likelyhood the movie will be better than book. I just wanted to get some initial thoughts down I may have more to say later.
June 7, 2012
This wonderful book that is an absolute pleasure to read is an account of the career of one of the most famous charlatans of the 18th century, Count Alessandro di Cagliostro. Born to poverty in Sicily, he rose to fame and infamy through his spreading his brand of Freemasonry and billing himself as an alchemist and healer. Due to the times in which he lived and his extensive travels (usually to keep one step ahead of the law), he had contact with many of the figures of the end of the Enlightenment, such as Catherine the Great as well as ran, somewhat, in the same circles as figures from the end of the Ancien Regime, such as Marie Antoinette. This book provided some real insights into the “Age of Reason”.
April 27, 2012
The story progression was slow, until the middle of the book. I read most of it aloud to my husband, because it felt so much like reading tabloid journalism from 1788.
"Oh what's that naughty Cagliostro up to now?"
I appreciated the information and history of the people that had a significant parts to play in the story. Casanova, de Morande etc.
Interesting to learn more about the history and atmosphere of the time in which Cagliostro lived. It's written well enough to give the reader a real sense of the era. Though I do not share the authors admiration for Cagliostro. I would recommend this book to people interested in freemasonry and info on some of histories more popular characters.
"Oh what's that naughty Cagliostro up to now?"
I appreciated the information and history of the people that had a significant parts to play in the story. Casanova, de Morande etc.
Interesting to learn more about the history and atmosphere of the time in which Cagliostro lived. It's written well enough to give the reader a real sense of the era. Though I do not share the authors admiration for Cagliostro. I would recommend this book to people interested in freemasonry and info on some of histories more popular characters.
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April 25, 2015#003.06 p.101 "Chemistry,' he declaimed, "is child's play for those who know alchemy, and alchemy is nothing for a man who commands the spirits. As for me, I have gold (tapping on the ducats in his pocket). I have diamonds (showing a ring of ugly black diamonds, badly mounted). But I eschew all that and rest all my happiness in the empire that I exercise over those superior spiritual beings who preside over man. They are the souls of mortals disengaged from their bodies, whom I evoke to reappear and to respond to my questions."
Seeing Heyking's sarcastic smile, the count continued, "I'm not worried by your skepticism; you're not the first strong spirit I've subdued and pulverized . . . In time you'll come to recognize Count Cagliostro and his power," he added quietly.
Seeing Heyking's sarcastic smile, the count continued, "I'm not worried by your skepticism; you're not the first strong spirit I've subdued and pulverized . . . In time you'll come to recognize Count Cagliostro and his power," he added quietly.
November 27, 2015
I enjoyed a lot this history book. The author managed to write his study of the so-called count in a very engaging, vivid manner, plotting it like a novel and giving a rich historical context to count’s many exploits. I also loved how he wove other historical events and personages into the book, e.g. the necklace affair and Catherine the Great. But I was disappointed a little by the lack of analysis throughout. Only in the last chapter McCalman briefly considers why Cagliostro became so successful in his lifetime, and how he managed to dupe so many people. I wanted more of that, and to appear in every chapter.
March 16, 2012
A delightful work of research and prose on one of the most controversial and influential charlatan to ever walk our mortal shores.
Suspended between the certainties of the Age of Reason and the forthcoming rejoicing of the 'occult' of the Romantic era, Count Alessandro Cagliostro life is an enchanting and interesting reading, surely.
Humble, Palermo born Giuseppe Balsamo will have a great influence on extremely high placed personalities such as Catherine the Great, Casanova, Goethe, Marie Antoinette and many others.
Suspended between the certainties of the Age of Reason and the forthcoming rejoicing of the 'occult' of the Romantic era, Count Alessandro Cagliostro life is an enchanting and interesting reading, surely.
Humble, Palermo born Giuseppe Balsamo will have a great influence on extremely high placed personalities such as Catherine the Great, Casanova, Goethe, Marie Antoinette and many others.
April 3, 2009
History told in an interesting way is always fun to read. However, this was a bit dry as far as action is concerned. Too much name dropping and not enough character building. I did learn that Rimsky-Korsakof, the famous composer was commiting adultery with Catherine the Great, which may color my love of his music from now on. The cover seemed to promise details about the Masons of the time, but I didn't get much real new information.
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