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casparb's review against another edition
I thought this may be a bit interesting I was Not Ready for this wild ride. So let's get into personality
Benvenuto Cellini (b.1500) was a renaissance florentine goldsmith, sculptor. What the autobiography reveals is that he was also, a shit. it's rare I think, that somebody writing their own account, their autobiography, comes across this awful - he picks fights, endlessly, and nearly always seems in the wrong. he has the biggest ego you can imagine, even if he is remarkably talented. It's SO entertaining. I kept forgetting that this is 'history', that this isn't a hare-brained Count of Monte Cristo parody, three centuries early. now I'm sure that Most of what Cellini is saying in here is lies - I'm good with that. You won't like him. but what a read
Benvenuto Cellini (b.1500) was a renaissance florentine goldsmith, sculptor. What the autobiography reveals is that he was also, a shit. it's rare I think, that somebody writing their own account, their autobiography, comes across this awful - he picks fights, endlessly, and nearly always seems in the wrong. he has the biggest ego you can imagine, even if he is remarkably talented. It's SO entertaining. I kept forgetting that this is 'history', that this isn't a hare-brained Count of Monte Cristo parody, three centuries early. now I'm sure that Most of what Cellini is saying in here is lies - I'm good with that. You won't like him. but what a read
the_bitextual's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
Honestly maybe the best autobiography I've ever read. Short chapters make it easily digestible, the writing style (and translations) are excellent. I came off this after reading Ascanio, by Dumas, and finding out that Cellini was a real guy. And it's evident that Dumas had read this book, because there are things, almost word for word, taken from here. I'll be buying a physical copy, for sure.
akashthakursingh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
5.0
voldie's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't read much autobiographies of designers, but strongly suspect that this one is one of the best available. Lots of inside info on how successful studios work internally and externally, about the sales pipelines and so forth. Also, not many designers are open enough to tell the world how they killed people!
jvanwagoner's review against another edition
adventurous
5.0
Excellent Audio Book
This review is for the audiobook version of this fantastic autobiography. Cellini is incredibly arrogant, but his story is entertaining and gives a fascinating look at the Renaissance and many of its major characters. Even though he is not the most likable man in the world, there are many things to admire about his strength of character. It is easy to see why he had so many enemies, though I'm not sure he understood why. His descriptions of the courts of Italy, France, and the Church give us priceless information on how they functioned. Historians like Durant referenced this work a lot in their histories. It also affirms to me that human nature has always been the same.
The reader of this audiobook is Robert Whitfield, whose characterization is what I imagine for Cellini. He had that touch of arrogance in his voice one would expect from a significant braggart, but it was not too grating and easy to listen to. The translation by John Addington Symonds was also excellent and very easy for a modern ear to understand.
I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone that loves a good story. It has action, adventure, romance, intrigue, and about anything else one would look for in a good book. The audiobook is 15 ½ hours long, and the time went by quickly.
I originally wrote this review on 7/2/2008.