English Pronunciation Audio

"[The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini] chronicles with unflagging energy
and force one of the most tempestuous lives and one of the largest egos in all of history....The
vigorous translation is superbly realized by British narrator Robert Whitfield, successfully bringing
to tape Cellini's unforgettable story. Highly recommended for all collections."--Library Journal

"Whitfield brings Cellini's autobiography to life, fluently rolling Italian and English words off his tongue
and capturing the flavor of the tale....The minute details recounted by Cellini are gracefully read by
Whitfield, who breathes life into this fascinating autobiography."--AudioFile

Master Italian sculptor, goldsmith, and writer, Benvenuto Cellini is best remembered for his magnificent
autobiography. In this work, which was actually begun in 1558 but not published until 1730, Cellini
beautifully chronicles his own flamboyant times. He tells of his adventures in Italy and France, his
relations with popes and kings and with fellow artists. From Florence and Pisa to Siena and Rome,
Cellini portrays a tumultuous period--the age of Galileo, Michelangelo and the de Medicis--with an
artist's eye for detail and a curmudgeon's propensity for criticism. Cellini, according to himself, seems
to have lived a very full life, and his account of his exploits, though grandiloquent and somewhat suspect,
are always entertaining. Historians have considered this work as a prime example of the emergence of
modern individualism during the Renaissance.