Benito Cereno

By: Herman Melville

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

This is the epic sea adventure, a harrowing tale of slavery and revolt aboard a Spanish ship, is often regarded as Melville's finest short story. The balance of forces is complete, the atmosphere one of epic significance, the light cast upon the hero intense to the highest degree, the realization of the human soul profound, and the telling of the story orchestrated like a great symphony.Public Domain (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The noblest short story in American literature." (Edward J. O'Brian)

My word! This could be used for instruction only.

This well written and well narrated story was painful to listen to. I believe one needs to understand the non-black peoples in this story were raised believing... And ,unfortunately, scenarios such as this have been repeated since man was able to travel and subdue other peoples.

Follow his leader

I really liked the overall plot and development of the story. There are subtle hints foreshadowing what is to come, and I like how the pace picked up as I got closer to the end of the novella.

Underrated and underread classic

Novella that reveals Melville’s gifts in a much easier format than Moby Dick. Incredible historical fiction that is well worth the three hours to listen. Highly recommend.

Scholarly symmetry

Melville musters up as much detachment as he can in presenting the facts of the enslaved Senegalese and other Africans. It is far from perfect. But he remains honest to his own cultural leanings with no bravado in overthrowing them for purposes of romance with the result that, over a hundred years later, the reader can ascertain the facts and make their own judgement. The symmetry of the plot is as perfect as it is incidental.

The literary equivalent of a caste painting from the same time

Somehow still part of the literature canon, this garbage book book tells a tale; stacked full of sexualization of humans described as animals , perverse notions of civility, of clear anti-Blackness, a hierarchy amongst whites on a spectrum of white supremacy, offers a horrific glimpse into a celebration of nautical torment and hypocracy that a group of enslaved people might fight against them who abducted them to make a way back to their home of origin is a criminal act.

And stop doing accents if it is not your own.