The Decameron: or Ten Days’ Entertainment

· Blackstone Audio Inc. · Narrated by Frederick Davidson
Audiobook
29 hr 58 min
Unabridged
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More
Want a 9 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline. 
Add

About this audiobook

In 1348, the year of the Black Death, seven ladies and three gentlemen escape the dying, corrupt city of Florence to pass ten days in the hills of Fiesole telling each other stories. Reveling in their enchanted dreamworld of beauty and luxury, they take turns playing king or queen for the day, with the designated ruler naming the stipulations for that day's story. In contrast to their idyllic, gentile environment, the stories they tell are marked by an intense, cynical realism and feature ordinary people of less privileged classes. Boccaccio brings these stories alive with the authentic language of the different social classes and a frank, realistic handling of character. His satire often bites deep, yet he embraces evil and holiness alike with sympathy and tolerance, leaving guilty characters to condemn themselves.

Like Dante's Divine Comedy, The Decameron is a monumental work of medieval pre-Renaissance literature.

About the author

Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) was an Italian author and poet, a friend and correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. As a writer he is particularly notable for the verisimilitude of his dialogue, in an age when most writers followed formulaic models for character and plot.

Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.

Rate this audiobook

Tell us what you think.

Listening information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

More by Giovanni Boccaccio

Similar audiobooks

Narrated by Frederick Davidson