This work by Sheila Hodges is a biography of the man who was the librettist for three of Mozart's most famous operas: Le Nozzi di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte.

The book traces Lorenzo Da Ponte's life from birth in Ceneda, Italy in 1749 to his death in America in 1838. The material used in this biography include Da Ponte's own memoirs and various others letters and text that documented his life in Europe and America. In the back, the book list chronologically dates that of were of importance to Da Ponte, dates of his writings (poems, letters etc.) and finally dates of his libretti. There is also an extensive bibliography and a complete index of the names of people in the book who were part of his life.

The book deals extensively with all sections of Da Ponte's life including his growing up, his work in Vienna, where he met Mozart and worked for Emperor Joseph, his life in London, and finally his last years in America. Amongst these segments we see a young man who could not resist the fairer sex; a gullible soul who repeatedly lent money to people and rogues that could not or would not repay him, thus leaving him in an almost constant state of poverty throughout his entire lifetime. As that saying goes "he was his own worse enemy".

Personally, I had hoped to gain some insight into the working relationship between himself and Mozart but there is apparently little record of their actual association. What did come out, that is intriguing, is the apparent sway Da Ponte's skill with the libretti had in determining the music that Mozart eventually wrote for the three operas mentioned above. This ability seemed to arise from his upbringing and his education as a young man, where eventually he developed his talent to write these fabulous Italian libretti: libretti that were not only used by Mozart, but by many other composers of the day, including Salieri and Martin Y Soler, just to mention a few. It appears plausable, that without Da Ponte's influence on Mozart, that these three masterpieces would be substantially different than what we know today.

The book is well written, generally easy to read and will be appreciated by anyone interested in Da Ponte, Italian opera or the political intrigues of life in 18th century Vienna. Certainly a special interest book, but one that is an interesting read.

The best thing about this book is the preface by Charles Rosen. The rest it hugely disappointing. It is amazing how a poet can be so non-descriptive! How can any writer has been friends with both Mozart and Casanova and yet have nothing to say about them? One gets no sense of what life was like during the end of the 18th century at all. Even Da Ponte's own thoughts and motives do not come across. All that is left are petty political games at an assortment of different opera houses. Da Ponte's story is less amusing than the description of a single flirtation in the truly interesting and picaresque memoirs of his friend Casanova.