The book "The Man with the Golden Mouth" deals with the life and work of Dio Chrysostom (circa 40–circa 120 AD), a man from Prusa in Bithynia, Asia Minor. He inherited great fortunes and debts from his generous father, Pasikrates, alongside his brothers. He developed into a skilled orator, hostile towards philosophers. During his travels, he visited Rome during the reign of Vespasian (69–79), where he embraced Stoicism.

Given his intense criticism of Emperor Domitian (81–96), in 82 AD he was banned from staying in Italy and Bithynia, wandering through countries north of the Aegean, up to the Danube and the primitive Getae. In 97 AD, he spoke publicly to the Greeks gathered in Olympia and was welcomed to Rome by Emperor Nerva (96–98). He returned to Prusa and, arriving back in Rome in 98–99 as an ambassador, became a close friend of Emperor Trajan.

In 102 AD, he traveled to Alexandria and elsewhere. In his involvement in a trial concerning plans for the beauty of Prusa at his own expense, he presented his case to the governor of Bithynia, Pliny the Younger (111–112). The rest of his life remains unknown. Almost all of his surviving Dionysian Discourses reflect political concerns (the most significant are related to issues in Bithynia and provide valuable details about conditions in Asia Minor) or moral issues (they were written mostly later in his life and contain much of his best work).

Some of his philosophical and historical works, including one on the Getae, have been lost. The totality of his achievements makes him prominent in the revival of Greek literature in the late first and early second centuries. The Loeb Classical Library edition of Dio Chrysostom comprises five volumes.