The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio Translated by John Payne
The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio Translated by John Payne
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The Decameron

Author: Giovanni Boccaccio; Translated by John Payne

Narrator: Frederick Davidson

Unabridged: 29 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/05/2009

Categories: Fiction, Classic


Synopsis

It is 1348, the year of the Black Death. In the dying, corrupt city of Florence, seven ladies and three gentlemen decide to escape to the hills of Fiesole, where they pass ten days telling each other stories. Reveling in an 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 days story. In contrast to their idyllic environment of medieval gentilesse, 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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Valeriu on August 31, 2024

Cine n-a citit Decameronul n-ar face deloc rău să-l răsfoiască acum. E momentul cel mai potrivit. Boccaccio a redactat cartea după epidemia de ciumă din 1347-1348, opera a circulat în manuscris, într-un cerc restrîns, dar prima ei ediție s-a tipărit abia în 1470. Decameronul a intrat numaidecît în „......more

Goodreads review by Bradley on January 29, 2019

Amazing. I'm utterly flabbergasted by how good this is. Forty years before The Canterbury Tales took England by storm, a little tiny place called Italy was having a full-blown RENAISSANCE. So why the hell have I been avoiding all these fantastic pieces of art, anyway? Because they're in Italian? For......more

Goodreads review by Olga on February 01, 2025

'The Decameron' must have been a major breakthrough in the 14th century promoting realism and humanistic values, placing the primary focus on a human being, his/her virtues and limitations. When we read these stories today, in the 21st century, certain norms of the medieval society make us frown, es......more