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Leonardo Da Vinci

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Leonardo Da Vinci

By: Walter Isaacson
Narrated by: Alfred Molina
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About this listen

 Read by acclaimed actor Alfred Molina, star of The Da Vinci Code, An Education and Chocolat, this is the definitive biography of Leonardo Da Vinci.

Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.

Da Vinci produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and technology. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history’s most creative genius.

His creativity, like that of other great innovators, came from having wide-ranging passions. He peeled flesh off the faces of cadavers, drew the muscles that move the lips, and then painted history’s most memorable smile. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in The Last Supper. Isaacson also describes how Leonardo’s lifelong enthusiasm for staging theatrical productions informed his paintings and inventions.

Leonardo’s delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance of instilling, both in ourselves and our children, not just received knowledge but a willingness to question it – to be imaginative and, like talented misfits and rebels in any era, to think different.

Hear to the true story of Leonardo Da Vinci, brought to life by the brilliant Alfred Molina.
 Art & Literature Artists, Architects & Photographers Historical Military & War Politicians Politics & Activism Inspiring Mathematics Heartfelt Scary Thought-Provoking Middle Ages

Critic reviews

'To read this magnificent biography of Leonardo da Vinci is to take a tour through the life and works of one of the most extraordinary human beings of all time in the company of the most engaging, informed, and insightful guide imaginable. Walter Isaacson is at once a true scholar and a spellbinding writer. And what a wealth of lessons there are to be learned in these pages' (David McCullough)
‘In Isaacson, Leonardo gets the biographer he deserves – an author capable of comprehending his often frenetic, frequently weird quest to understand. This is not just a joyful book; it’s also a joy to behold…Isaacson deserves immense praise for this very human portrait of a genius’
‘lavish, loving biography of the great Renaissance polymath…this sumptuous, elegantly written and diligently produced offering that perfectly catches the contradictions of the man…[a] splendid work that provides an illuminating guide to the output of one of the last millenium’s greatest minds’
‘extremely accomplished and fluent biography of the ultimate Renaissance Man…While Isaacson gives full measure to the grandeur of Leonardo’s project, he also deftly describes the human beneath the superhuman’
All stars
Most relevant

Would you consider the audio edition of Leonardo Da Vinci to be better than the print version?

Yes, I think the narration gives a warmth and familiarity with the characters!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Leonardo Da Vinci?

I loved learning Leonardo was a lover of collaborations, with humour and kindness.

What about Alfred Molina’s performance did you like?

Alfred Molina was truly engaging. I listened in long bouts as I really didn't want to tear myself a way. It felt like anecdote from a friend.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

More than genius

Any additional comments?

A ambulate gem. I will listen again in a couple of years once I have forgotten what I have learned!

Sorry to say goodbye

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Really enjoying this but why is Alfred Molina pretending to be American? He's from Paddington, which last time I looked was in the UK. I love Alfred Molina's work but this was very weird. I know he's a master of accents and he reads well but it was really strange he wasn't using his natural voice.

Erudite and engaging

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This is a brilliant and absorbing insight into this amazing man. Written and narrated in an engaging way bringing to life a detailed account of Leonardo's life.

Review

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This is the first biography, that has woven Leonardo's homosexuality into the narrative, instead of treating it, as an aside. The author, without dissecting his personality, has demonstrated how Leonardo's sexuality has coloured his life, influencing events and influencing his work. As with Hitchcock's obsession, with the cool blonde, in his movies, Leonardo too, had a type, that seemed to make an appearance in his work regularly. I rather enjoyed the human quality of the narration and the details of the life of possibly the greatest artist in the Renaissance. I would recommend this book to those who want a human story rather than an academic thesis.

Truthful Biography

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Leonardo Da Vinci's biography closely follows the biographies of Benjamin Franklin, Steve Jobs, Michael Johnson, and Elon Musk as essential reading for anyone interested in history, politics, and performance. Highly recommended reading. Biographies of this ilk should be compulsory reading in schools.

A must read biography

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