Wisdom of Baltasar Gracian (Cassette) [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Kaye (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1992

More than 300 years ago, Baltasar Gracian--worldly Jesuit scholar, counselor to kings, the genius of his age--made careful study of the powerful and elite who managed to combine ethical behavior with worldly effectiveness. He wrote brief but compelling maxims offering commonsense advice for living in the highly-charged era of 17th-century Spain, but his advice is equally relevant to today.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

Baltasar Gracian (1601-1658), a Spanish Jesuit priest and philosopher, fought censorship and advocated free speech. J. Leonard Kaye is a record producer who has woven Gracian's aphorisms into a biographical sketch of the priest. Gracian's wisdom, according to Kaye, was addressed to a fast-paced, stressful environment. Thus, it is particularly applicable to the 1990's. Unfortunately, much of the reading is accompanied by classical music which, at times, overwhelms the voice. The music also has long string selections which become grating. Otherwise, the program is excellent, as is the choice of F. Murray Abraham as reader. D.W.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audioworks (December 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671797417
• ISBN-13: 978-0671797416
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 4.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,567,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Historical notes and selected quotes, February 27, 2006

By 

Mark Mills (Glen Rose, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wisdom of Baltasar Gracian (Cassette) (Audio Cassette)

The tape flips back and forth between selected memoir passages and 'favorite quotes'. Neither is particularly enlightening, but the determined listener will probably find a few phrases which inspire further reading.

2.0 out of 5 stars Avoid, December 30, 2011

By 

Marshal Berthier "Marshal Berthier" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wisdom of Baltasar Gracian: A Practical Manual for Good and Perilous Times (Paperback)

Gracian is a man worth studying, and his Oracle (usually titled something like The Art of Worldly Wisdom) is a must read, but not this version. Do a search on Baltasar Gracian and you should end up on a page by Lachlan Cranswick, which has a good comparison on translations. You will see that many of those in this reviewed version are either weak or missing. I got my copy at a used bookseller for cheap. Not sure it is worth even that price. It did get me searching on Gracian, which has led me to better translations.