Discover New Releases Audiobooks in Classics, European Literature

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Titel: Die Heine Box

Autor:: Heinrich Heine

Erzähler: Jan Josef Liefers, Katharina Thalbach, Alexander Khuon

Format: Unabridged

Spieldauer: 5 hrs

Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsdatum: 03-31-06

Herausgeber: Argon Verlag

Kategorien: Classics, European Literature

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Title: Smoke

Author: Ivan Turgenev

Narrator: Stuart Langton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-17-05

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 38 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A balanced and objective commentator, sensitive, intelligent, Turgenev is dedicated to the highest claims of art. His work lives for its universal qualities of understanding and devotion to aesthetic standards.

Members Reviews:

Smoke will satisfy

What started out as a cure for insomnia and an attempt to make up for my misspent youth has turned into a love affair with 19th century Russian novels. Doestoevsky and Tolstoy portray the brooding passion of the people, the dangers of journeying across borders and classes, the barren backdrop and gilded palaces, but Turgenev is the master of the depiction of the good an evil in every man and woman. His characters' falling in and out of love and back again are told with a loving intracacy that reminds me of Jane Austen, with the added measure of guilt that only a man could deliver. The tragic turns of the lovers' conversations are gripping. The picture of the smoke rising into the distance in one of the final chapters was truly delicious. The flitting back and forth from Russian to French finally helped me understand the role of French culture in this period. The reading by Stuart Langton is inspired. If you are interested in pre-revolutionary Russian culture, love reading about relationships, love Trollope and trains, you will love this book.

Read Turgenev!

Don't be put off by the sample extract of this book. The narrator has a strong accent when reading the introduction but the actual book is beautifully read and sounds completely different.

The book is less famous than Fathers and Sons, although like his other works it is amusing, sensitive and intelligent. Well worth a listen.

Those Russians!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - entertaining view of mid-19th century Russian society and mores

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I leave that sort of thing to Turgenev!

Which character as performed by Stuart Langton was your favourite?

Potugin was the least disagreeable

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

A pity the narrator doesn't know French and mispronounced it constantly

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Título: Werther [en Espanol]

Autor: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Narrador: Laura Garcia

Formato: Abridged

Duración: 3 hrs and 1 min

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 10-07-05

Editor: Yoyo USA, Inc

Calificaciones: 4 de 5 de 7 votos

Categorías: Classics, European Literature

Resumen del editor:

Dicen que el amor imposible de Werther, que narra la obra, creo una impresionante ola de suicidios entre jovenes impresionables de la epoca. La verdad es que esta conmovedora obra, desde su publicacion se coloco en un pedestal del que no ha descendido.

© & (P)2001 Disonex S.A.

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Title: Notes from the Underground

Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Narrator: Walter Zimmerman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-20-05

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 109 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The book, published in 1864, marks a turning point in Dostoevsky's writing: it announces the moral, political, and social ideas that he will further examine in Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. The book opens with a tormented soul crying out, "I am a sick man...I am a spiteful man." This is the cry of an alienated individual who has become one of the greatest anti-heroes in all literature.

Editorial Reviews:

Walter Zimmerman strikes an intellectual, angst-ridden note in his performance of Fyodor Dostoevskys Notes from the Underground, a foundation text among existential writers like Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre.

The first part of this novella sees the jaded narrator musing philosophically on whether human action is motivated by reason as well as the concept of suffering. In the second part, we get a more dramatic portrait of the "Underground Man". Here we see him obsess over a cruel officer and cruelly spew his anguish upon a young prostitute.

The narrator in Dostoevskys novella is meant to be fascinating but not fully sympathetic. Zimmerman deftly conveys both his intelligence and his arrogance.

Members Reviews:

Brilliant

Notes from Underground is one of the seminal works of modern literature--devastating for what Bakhtin called Dostoevskii's "negative dialectics", the author's amazing ability to run equally valid propositions against each other, leaving the reader gasping. In Notes from Underground, we find the foundation of Dostoevskii's better-known works: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov. We also find the foundations of existentialist literature--wherein the main character deliberately defies reason and self-interest for the greater good of freedom, of unharnessed human volition. Here too, Dostoevskii deliberately challenged the extraordinary defense of human freedom in Part I against the devastating portrait of a misanthrope enslaved by his own past in Part II.

This book is not for the faint of heart, 120 pages of pure intellectual poison.

Everyone is a critic

I suspect that to fully understand this book the reader must have some tendencies toward mental illness. The rants are more a way of dealing with reality when the real desire is to be acknowledged. I found quite a bit of humor in this volume. The 'underground man' is most often the crazy curmudgeon neighbor we all have.

The First Great Work of Hipsterdom

Though written in the mid 19th century, this work could be a contemporary examination of the bitter and jaded intellectuals of a hip neighborhood in an American city. I think the internet has just excalated the time line in recent history, for while the protagonist in this work is 40+, he speaks like a typical 20 or 30 something these days. The work is hillarious and brutal. I kept seeing myself, and then hating myself for it, for the hero isn't the hero he believes himself to be. This was a great work of a master looking at his former, younger self, i suppose. Love Dostoevsky, always will. Narrator is acceptable, but not noteworthy.

Erratic stream of consciousness

This being written during a period of time when Dostoevsky had just been jailed for a long period of time and then released, then was being watched with the intention of sending him back to the gulag ( a place from which few returned) I thought this would be of a type of literature similar to Solzhenitsyn. I was wrong.

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Title: Count Luna

Author: Alexander Lernet-Holenia

Narrator: Charlton Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-26-03

Publisher: Audio Connoisseur

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Alexander Lernet-Holenia, (1895 - 1977), was born into the aristocracy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A soldier himself, he watched that empire crumble to dust and closely observed its effects on Central Europe. His writings, which include a copious number of poems, plays, and novels, are among the greatest works in modern German literature. Count Luna is a masterpiece of psychological profiling and employs elements of romanticism, naturalism, expressionism, and magic realism.

The literary merit of Lernet-Holenia is secure in the line of masters like Dostoyevsky and Mann, and his work remains some of the most important of the 20th century. Count Luna is one of his greatest achievements. It is the spellbinding work of a master writer at the height of his power.

Critic Reviews:

"As a writer, Alexander Lemet-Holenia combines the best of the classic tradition in literature with a surprisingly contemporary understanding of structure and language. Passages in Count Luna tracing lineage and metaphorical relationships are brilliant; Lemet-Holenia is truly, as the critic Hermann Bahr calls him, a 'goldsmith of words.'" (Independent Publisher)

Members Reviews:

Great literature, great narrator

I downloaded this on the strength of a previous Audio Connoisseur production. I'm glad I did. The power of this story is truly mesmerizing, as is the narration. If you like good literature, this is a must. I am not familiar with this author, but I'll definitely be looking for other material by him from now on. The story has a faintly romantic air to it, though it is certainly far from a romance. The philosophical discussion betwen Jessiersky and the two priests at the end of the book is truly extraordinary. If you're looking for something a cut above the superficial mysteries and crime books that abound these days, check this out. Magnificent writing and outstanding production values.

An almost forgotten gem

"Der Graf Luna," published in 1955, is an almost forgotten gem. In this production, Charlton Griffin not only dusts it off but polishes it until it gleams.

The book opens with the protagonist, Alexander Jessiersky, an Austrian national visiting Rome, announcing he is going into the catacombs to search for two missing (and presumed dead) French priests. Why is he there, and what is he really looking for?

The protagonist is a man of his times in many ways. After the Anschluss and consequent invasion, Jessiersky is encouraged to buy the property of Count Luna. The count refuses to cooperate. This is not because he has any evident political opposition, but he is suspicious of the instability and value of the new currency. For his failure to submit, officials denounce Luna as a "monarchist sympathizer," brand him an enemy of the state, and send him to Mauthausen concentration camp.

Jessiersky, "though he himself had not done anything, had out of his inactivity failed to do what should have been done" and "allowed his subordinates to do as they chose." Deeply depressed over the realization that "the world is apparently ruled by misunderstanding," he attempts to find Luna and ease his misery by visiting his surviving relatives. Jessiersky's search for truth leads him into extraordinary situations and places, including the Roman catacombs.

Taken for itself, the story is a creative mystery with unusual characters.

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Title: The Iliad

Author: Homer

Narrator: Roger Rees

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-10-01

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

One of the true masterpieces of all time, The Iliad tells the story of Achilles, the greatest warrior of ancient Greece, and how his wrath brought about the fall of the city of Troy. The Iliad contains the very essence of the world of ancient Greece - mysterious, implacable, metaphysical, heroic, and tragic, a world in which honor is both man's highest integrity and his downfall. It speaks across the ages of the tragedy and grandeur of the human condition. Originally meant to be heard rather than read, this great epic returns to the oral form for today's listeners. (Translated by Samuel Butler)

(P)1998 by NewStar Media

Members Reviews:

An impassioned reading

I hesitated over buying this for a long time, for one simple reason: Samuel Butler, in his translations of Homer, used the Roman names for the Greek gods: Jove and Juno and Minerva rather than Zeus and Hera and Athena. (Some recordings and some recent editions of Butler "correct" this, but the recording by Roger Rees follows Butler's original text.) This turns out to be a stupid reason. Rees has long been one of my favorite actors, and his reading of the Iliad is impassioned and enthralling. The abridgement is a careful one, communicating the overall narrative of the poem while at the same time retaining many of the digressions and touches of character. I still regret Butler's choice in names, and the recording's decision to follow him, but if you want a taste of Homer, you should really consider this fast-paced and moving performance.

Get ready for Troy

I thought it would be fun to reread the Iliad before seeing the movie Troy which comes out in May. I was right. This book was wonderful. I had forgotten how exciting it is. These are some of literature's greatest personalities. I'm only sorry I didn't get the unabridged version.

just ok

Well read, but disappointed by how this abridged version ended. This narrative began at a reasonable spot with the duel between Menelaus and Paris, it however ended with the funeral of Hector. A more appropriate ending point would have been either the death of Achilles or the death of Paris. This is just my opinion.

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Title: Swann's Way

Author: Marcel Proust

Narrator: Neville Jason

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-12-01

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 43 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Swann's Way is the first part of Marcel Proust's monumental, seven volume Remembrance of Things Past. Here, Proust's vision, psychological understanding and vivid powers of description combine to create one of the most poetic and magical works in all literature. For lovers of the original text there are new delights to be found in this audiobook version, while those discovering the work for the first time may be surprised to find it so accessible.

Editorial Reviews:

Reading Proust's great work, Remembrance of Things Past, may be daunting, but listening is a riveting experience, an insightful, often funny, poetical exploration of character, place, emotion and idea. In this section, the young narrator recalls the elaborate social etiquette and conventions among Combray's first families. Neville Jason is a master at characterizing the multitude of voices and guides us seamlessly through time. After a sampling of this classic, we are tantalized and long to continue.

Members Reviews:

Every moment comes alive

In the movie THE HOURS everybody feels their lives are trivial, so they jump out of windows, etc. What they really needed was to read (or, even better, listen to, Proust). Proust puts the magic in all the trivial bits that make up our lives. He enobles them; we take dignity from them. Where Buddhism teaches "mindfulness", the awareness of each feature of each moment, and the understanding that it will never be repeated just that way again, the rest of us have Proust.

Normally I require a plot in any book I read, but with Proust it's different. We live his life in minute detail. So accurately does he dissect every emotion, reveal every motivation and explore every ramification that we become him. We no more need a plot in this book than we need one in our own lives. Instead we take from his example the ability to see in our own trivial moments the glimmer of literature.

One caveat: It is a pity to abridge this book. There is an unabridged version on the market--expensive, but maybe worth it.

Proust is alive and well

How can you go through life without experiencing Proust?s books? Most people do. But, they are missing a great experience. Can I say, comparable in my mind to climbing the Everest? There is something very intimate about Proust?s writing. Until now, I thought that only reading 3,000 pages of Proust?s magic style could create this perfect experience. However, I was wrong. The ?audible? version does it. Like the radio shows in the 40?s, it lets you create your own images and story line. Imagining Proust?s world and characters is crucial in sustaining your interest for this very complex story. Audio does it. Thank you.

Honestly, when I read Proust, I have a tendency to skip some paragraphs. This is a very bad habit, I know. Audible solves this problem. You have to listen to everything.

Finally, I was listening while reading the e-book unabridged version. Try it. You will like it. Audio just makes Proust more accessible, more understandable, and more enjoyable. You have this feeling of an intimate conversation in a salon, in this beautiful city of Paris and Marcel is talking to you.

This is abridged beyond reason

The abridged version is 3 hours and 50 minutes long. The unabridged version is 20 hours and 30 minutes long.

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Title: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Author: Victor Hugo

Narrator: Bill Homewood

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-26-00

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In the grotesque bell-ringer Quasimodo, Victor Hugo created one of the most vivid characters in classic fiction. Quasimodo's doomed love for the beautiful gipsy girl Esmeralda is an example of the traditional love theme of beauty and the beast. Yet, set against the massive background of Notre Dame de Paris and interwoven with the sacred and secular life of medieval France, it takes on a larger perspective. The characters come to life; the poet Gringoire, the tormented priest Claude Frollo, the fun-loving captain Phoebus and above all Quasimodo and Esmeralda themselves. It is a tale peppered with humor but fuelled by the anguish which unfolds beneath the bells of the great cathedral of Paris.

Members Reviews:

A deserved classic

Another tragic work full of love, passion, tears and horror from a true master prose. It took me years to get around to reading it, I thank God that I finally did

Five Stars

Have always enjoyed reading Hugo

Who is Quasimodo?

Great introduction to Quasimodo for young readers. My fourth grade grandson can read in his own

A great and powerful book by a great and powerful author.

It is always worthwhile to read a classic novel. Victor Hugo is among the four of five greatest writers of all time.

Four Stars

Good read but skimmed thru most of the obsessive detail about city of Paris description and Paris architecture, etc.

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Titre: Mémoires d'outre-tombe

Auteur: François-René de Chateaubriand

Narrateur: Daniel Mesguich

Format: Abridged

Durée: 5 hrs and 46 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 01-16-13

Éditeur: Frémeaux & Associés

Evaluation: 4.5 sur 5 sur 3 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Résumé de l'éditeur:

Chateaubriand (1768-1848), figure de proue du Romantisme français, homme de lettres mais également ministre et ambassadeur, fait partie des figures incontournables du XIXe siècle. De toutes ses œuvres, qui connurent une indéniable gloire de son temps, la seule à véritablement passer à la postérité fut sa colossale geste autobiographique, Les Mémoires d'outre-tombe. À la fois spectateur et acteur de son temps, dans une prose parfois éblouissante, il brosse à la fois son portrait et celui de son époque.

Daniel Mesguich en rend à merveille le phrasé et fait revivre à nos oreilles la quintessence de ce sommet littéraire du XIXe siècle.

Le narrateur

a été élève au Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique de Paris dans les classes d'Antoine Vitez et de Pierre Debauche. II y enseigne depuis 1983. Au théâtre, il a mis en scène nombre de textes classiques et contemporains dont récemment "Antoine et Cléopâtre" de William Shakespeare et "Le Diable et le bon Dieu" de Jean-Paul Sartre. II est également metteur en scène d'opéra. Acteur de cinéma il a joué notamment avec François Truffaut, Alain Robbe-Grillet et James Ivory...

©2012 Frémeaux et Associés / Groupe Frémeaux Colombini SAS (P)2012 Frémeaux et Associés / Groupe Frémeaux Colombini SAS

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Title: Arms and the Man (Director's Playbook Edition)

Author: George Bernard Shaw

Narrator: David Hopkins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-17

Publisher: David Hopkins

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A timeless classic by George Bernard Shaw, Arms and the Man is a comedy about love, ideals, and romance.

A young woman from a wealthy Bulgarian family is visited in her room by an enemy captain in his flight to evade capture, and this chance encounter threatens her engagement and her high-minded idealism.

Members Reviews:

Illegible

Totally illegible - an absolute waste of $3.00

A satire on War and Society

This is a classic play by George Bernard Shaw. It not only satirise war and the romantic notions of courage and bravery that one associates with it but also raises questions about the class system prevalent in the society. A work of serious thought written in the most breeziest of style. This is indeed Shaw at his most witty and at the same time contemplative best.

Four Stars

Excellent.

Five Stars

It's a play, not a novel.

Five Stars

Had to be great!