n nWinner of the 1981 Nobel Prize, this first volume of the authors autobiography provides a searching portrait of his personal background and creative development. n n Elias Canetti was one of the major intellectual figures and polymaths of the twentieth century. A master of many genres, he is known especially for his novel, Auto-da-Fe, and his great work of social theory, Crowds and Power. But Canettis genius is perhaps nowhere more evident than in the three volumes of his autobiography. n n This first volume, Tongue Set Free, provides a searching portrait of the authors personal background and creative development as it presents the events, personalities (especially Canettis mother), and intellectual forces that shaped the growth of the artist as a young man.n