Discover the New Releases Audiobooks in Classics, European Literature

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Title: Ghosts

Author: Henrik Ibsen

Narrator: Flo Gibson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-13-11

Publisher: Audio Book Contractors, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Haunting memories of the sins of the father and Oswald's heredity are the moving themes of this drama.

Members Reviews:

An edgy play about hereditary disease and an over protective mother

"As snug as a yolk in an egg" meaning "being comfortable in a house" is an example of beautiful expressions used by the venerable and brilliant playwright Henrik Ibsen. Ghosts was highly controversial during Ibsen's time because of the disturbing themes in this edgy play. Themes like cohabitation, although common as garden variety vegetables today in Norway, challenged the social mores of Norway 150 years ago. Even the then Norwegian king found the play distasteful. The central figure in the play was the poor long suffering Mrs Alvin. Both her late husband and her son were afflicted with the "Benjamin Button's" disease with her son's condition surfacing only when he turned 16, devastating the poor mother. Despite Mrs Alvin's extensive combative measures to shield her son from her husband's sins, we once again witness that man is never master of his destiny. Like hereditary diseases, the sins of the fathers will be felt by the children and their children.

What? Sexual secrets in families??

I'm a big fan of Ibsen's prescience in writing about issues that are still very current. "Ghosts" is one that explores the sexual secrets in families. The play was considered scandalous in the early 1880s when it first appeared, and the subject matter is scandalous still today.

Five Stars

One of Ibsen's most shocking plays.

this is the best Ibsen play

In my opinion, this is the best Ibsen play.

It was fine and it arrived in a timely fashion

All was as expected. I ordered a new edition. It was fine and it arrived in a timely fashion..

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Title: The Ambassadors

Author: Henry James

Narrator: Flo Gibson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-11-11

Publisher: Audio Book Contractors, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

James considers this book to be his masterpiece! Various "ambassadors" are sent to Paris to persuade Chad Newsome to return to his New England town and attend to his business interests there. One of these envoys, Lambert Strether, is so impressed with Chad's suavity and charm that he advises him to stay with Mme. de Vionnet in France.

©1992 Audio Book Contractors, Inc. (P)2004 Audio Book Contractors, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Why Henry James never goes out of style

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

This is a wonderful book, and thank you Flo Gibson for contriving charming character voices that transcend the ages. Your English-speaking Parisians come to life instantly, present themselves with dignity and high-minded sophistication.

Listening to the first chapter or so may be a bit daunting for some; the prose is somewhat archaic by today's standards (Not complaining! Love it!), requires some time to get the rhythm, sense the trajectory. But such a sweet story, so insightful and pleasant. After hearing it I went for the print version, intend to read it, too.

What did you like best about this story?

The deep dive into character development that generates an aire of highly refined sophistication assisted by disarming self-deprecation and good humor.

Have you listened to any of Flo Gibsons other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but will certainly seek them out.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Vive la difference!

Any additional comments?

Thanks for a very enjoyable experience.

A dense, intricate, beautiful work

This was my first introduction to Henry James, but after listening to this, I'll be exploring his work further. I love novels like this. The writing is ponderous, more concerned with fleshing out the characters and musing on their plights than on advancing the plot. It's dense stuff, but when the writing is this beautiful, that's a good thing.

I highly recommend this if you're interested in immersing yourself in it. It's the type of old book that can put you in a reverie, and an antidote to our times, even if the story is at times quite sad. I do not recommend this if you are looking for a plot-driven novel or have a low tolerance for long, complicated sentences and a style of narration that is highly indirect and suggestive rather than blunt and forthright.

The narration is quite good, in my opinion, but I know these things are personal. Play samples from the various versions available to find the narrator that's right for you.

Loved reading Portrait of a Lady, but this...

I'm not sure why I disliked this audio book so much. I found the characters to be annoyingly self interested and ridiculously effusive. Everyone was "exquisite" and "perfect". Made myself finish it.

Where's the story?

This is more about my limitations as a reader than it is about James, but all I can do is be honest, and, my goodness, this was a tough slog to get through. In this vast sea of beautiful words, I wasn't able to find the story. I only know what the book was about because I went to Wikipedia. I don't know how many times I had to pause the recording and ask, wait, where are we now? Who's speaking? Who is this character again?

I don't know of a writer who uses more words to describe a person, a place, a state of being, than James.

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Title: The Bear

Subtitle: A Classic One-Act Play

Author: Anton Chekhov

Narrator: Joe Bevilacqua, Cathi Tully, Bob Miller, William Duff-Griffin

Format: Original Recording

Length: 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-03-11

Publisher: Joe Bevilacqua, Waterlogg Productions

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

As heard on Sirius XM Radio and NPR stations!

The Bear, the classic one-act play by Anton Chekhov, produced, directed, and adapted by Joe Bevilacqua.

Written in 1900, The Bear is one of the great works of Anton Chekhov, about the strange beginnings of love between the recently widowed Mrs. Popov and Grigory Stepanovich Smirnov. In Russian the word for "bear" which has two meanings: an animal or a rather rude, clumsy, awkward man. The play is alternately titled The Boor.

The fine cast includes Cathi Tully, Bob Miller, and William Duff-Griffin.

Critic Reviews:

"This is one of Chekhov's very short plays, an unquestionable comedy, as opposed to the author's full length dramas which he considered comedies, but which are certainly of a more serious ilk. The Bear condenses so much of human nature into this short, comical, bizarre, and ultimately triumphant act. Chekhov demonstrates how close (at times) is the relationship between anger and passion, and how strange and wonderful is the human condition." (Jack Coulehan, Annotated Nine Plays of Chekhov, Grosset & Dunlap)

Members Reviews:

Nice Chekhov Funny Short Play

I really like Chekhov, and this was one I had not read before, as it is considered a play not a short story. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The story was funny, ironic and just a little dark. The players were good (but not great). I enjoyed both of the main characters, the dialog, and conclusion. It is only 29 minutes and costs $1.95 which was quite worth it (but dont use a full credit).

Hiliarous Comedy

Would you consider the audio edition of The Bear to be better than the print version?

I would not know if the audio edition of The Bear to be better that the print version. I expected descriptions of scene changes and character expressions, movements, and gestures, as if I were reading a script. Instead, I got a full-cast performance of the play with sound effects included.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Bear?

Oh, yes, my most memorable moment was when Elena growls at Smirnov and calls him a bear. It was so funny, I replayed it.

Which scene was your favorite?

I already said. The play hit its full stride with the Elena growling scene.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Grrrrr.

Any additional comments?

I was quite pleased at how much Chekhov entertained me with his play. One does not usually associate him with humor, but here he was in his top form.

funny story. Bad delivery.

very funny and easy story.

the delivery was a bit annoying as they seemed to not understand the characters and made the story a lot less funny than it should be.

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Title: Faldet [The Fall]

Author: Albert Camus

Narrator: Bent Otto Hansen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-28-11

Publisher: Viatone

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

En mondn Parisisk advokat gribes af lede over sin feterede position og egen selvtilfredshed. Han forlader alt og slr sig ned i en knejpe i Amsterdam, hvor han meget veltalende bekender og analyserer sine gerninger for enhver, der vil hre p ham. " han blotter en sjl, som vi m fle den dybeste afsky for, indtil vi opdager, at denne sjl mske er vor egen Gennem [hans] veltalende og hjst tvetungede bekendelse tages vore vedtagne forestillinger om ret og uret, sandhed og lgn, op til revision,."- Ole Storm

Please note: This audiobook is in Danish.

Members Reviews:

Anderledes historie men godt fortalt

Any additional comments?

Bogen er skrevet som, en mand der sidder p en bar og fortller "lseren" sin historie, det skal man lige vende sig til.

Bogen bliver bedre efter starten,men slutter s lidt irreterende synes jeg.

Bogen er rigtig godt lst op, og virker nsten som hvis man sad p en bar og lyttede til en mand der fortalte hans livs historie.

Jeg kunne godt identificere forfatteren, og synes der var nogle gode pointer i bogen.

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Title: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Author: Jules Verne, Bina Ofek (translator)

Narrator: Jonathan Kis-Lev

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-08-11

Publisher: SonicBooks Ltd.

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic science-fiction novel by Jules Verne, published in 1869.

One day, ships start sinking, particularly ones dealing with war. Survivors think it is a big whale. A harpoon ship goes out to kill it, but finds out that the "whale" is actually the Nautilus, a submarine. The most interesting part of this book is probably the Nautilus itself. It is shaped to look like a fish, with a large metal fin on top used to ram and sink ships. The camouflage works, until the Nautilus takes on a few passengers from one of the sinking ships. The novel tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax. It translated into Hebrew by Bina Ofek and was published by Ofarim. The audiobook version was produced by SonicBooks.

Please note: This audiobook is in Hebrew.

Members Reviews:

READ REVIEW FOR ***CORRECT TRANSLATION***

There are three significant translations of this book, and amazon's lacklustre book-sorting system creates nothing but chaos when searching for the correct format / translation of this book. I'm here to help!

note: (find the version you are looking for with the ISBN numbers I've provided at the bottom of this review, you can just copy and paste them into the amazon search field and hit GO).

Here are excerpts from the three most common translations:

Paragraph one, translated by Mercier Lewis -

THE YEAR 1866 WAS signalized by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. Not to mention rumors which agitated the maritime population, and excited the public mind, even in the interior of continents, seafaring men were particularly excited. Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels, skippers, both of Europe and America, naval officers of all countries, and the governments of several states on the two continents, were deeply interested in the matter.

Paragraph one, translated by Walter James Miller and Frederick Paul Walter (1996) -

THE YEAR 1866 was marked by a bizarre development, an unexplained and downright inexplicable phenomenon that surely no one has forgotten. Without getting into those rumors that upset civilians in the seaports and deranged the public mind even far inland, it must be said that professional seamen were especially alarmed. Traders, shipowners, captains of vessels, skippers, and master mariners from Europe and America, naval officers from every country, and at their heels the various national governments on these two continents, were all extremely disturbed by the business.

Paragraph one, translated by William Butcher -

The year 1866 was marked by a strange event, an unexplained and inexplicable occurrence that doubtless no one has yet forgotten. Without mentioning the rumours which agitated the denizens of the ports and whipped up the public's imagination on every continent, seafaring men felt particularly disturbed.

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Title: The Best of Franz Kafka's Short Stories

Author: Franz Kafka

Narrator: Lotte Lenya

Format: Unabridged

Length: 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-01-11

Publisher: Saland Publishing

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Lotte Lenya reads "Up In The Gallery", "The Cares of a Family Man", "The Bucket Rider", "A Hunger Artist", and "A Fratricide".

Members Reviews:

Grandiloquent

Old fashion production. Its affected style contrasts with Kafka's understated tone. The recordings are limited to a couple of hours and exclude some of Kafka's best short stories.

LOTTE LENYA READS KAFKA

This same recording was my introduction to Kafka [minus the unnecessary soundtrack] I was a son of the sixties and explored many things and during my travels found myself in the basement room with friends to listen to this same recording.

We were spellbound and wanted to listen again but Seer said "No!. . .once a week only as l never want tire of this." And he was right. Each week we gathered with new friends to share our new find.

The reader Lotte Lenya added to the gray atmosphere seen in most WW II films of Nazi occupation. Her voice has a harshness which accents each phrase akin to mood in his work.

You will remember her as Colonel Klegg, the Soviet defector to Spectre in From Russia With Love. lf you don't remember. . .you will the instant you hear her first phrase.

My only bad mark was adding music to detract from my experience.

You will enjoy this.

TD HANSON

Awful

I love Kafka but unfortunately the narrator has a very thick accent and it was hard to follow. I speak several languages and understand the need to be clear and concise. I also would have liked it if each short story was named beforehand. Disappointing.

Very worthwhile for Kafka fans

A very interesting set of recordings. Once I'd got used to Lotte Lenya's (Rosa Klebbe in 'From Russia with Love') accent (which didn't take long), this was a delight. She gives a very impassioned rendering of the stories and the the musical backing adds to the intensity of the reading, though it would have been fine without it.

She was an inspired choice to narrate. I wonder if there are any other recordings in the archives?

Doesnt work

Would you try another book written by Franz Kafka or narrated by Lotte Lenya?

Yes...if the was no music score running behind the narration....

Would you recommend The Best of Franz Kafka's Short Stories to your friends? Why or why not?

Just couldn't separate the narration and music.

Did Lotte Lenya do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

Lotte's slavic pronunciation of English was the final nail in the coffin...

Any additional comments?

...I reckon this is the one exception to the rule that audiobooks are the 'stereo' to the physical books 'mono'....

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Titre: Fragments d'un discours amoureux

Auteur: Roland Barthes

Narrateur: Fabrice Luchini

Format: Abridged

Durée: 1 hr and 10 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 03-21-11

Éditeur: Audiolib

Evaluation: 5 sur 5 sur 4 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Résumé de l'éditeur:

On connaît la phrase inaugurale de Fragments d'un discours amoureux : "C'est donc un amoureux qui parle, et qui dit..." Mais quel "amoureux" - Roland Barthes ! Et quel "diseur" - Fabrice Luchini !

Intelligence - de intellegere, comprendre. Comprendre - de cum prehendere, prendre avec soi, donc aimer... Intelligence de l'amour chez Barthes et amour de l'intelligence chez Luchini : c'est la fusion de ces deux qualités menées à une sorte d'incandescence qui fait de ce livre audio un événement exceptionnel, à la fois une fête du sens et des sens.

Plus encore qu'un cadeau, un "don", qui honorera autant ceux qui le font que ceux qui le reçoivent.

L'auteur

a été, des années 1960 à sa mort en 1980, un des plus éminents représentants de la grande aventure intellectuelle du structuralisme. Du

aux

, ou à

, parmi bien d'autres textes, il a révolutionné la critique littéraire comme le décryptage de notre modernité. Longtemps jugé comme un pur théoricien, on a peu à peu découvert ses qualités d'écrivain, dont ces

sont un remarquable exemple.

Le narrateur

est né à Paris en 1951 et mène une prestigieuse carrière de comédien, tant au cinéma qu'au théâtre. Il est, dans les années 1980, un des interprètes préférés de Rohmer et devient, dans les années 1990, un acteur plébiscité par les réalisateurs et le public. Mais sa grande passion demeure le théâtre. Son amour de la littérature le conduit à dire, sur scène, des textes de Baudelaire, Valéry ou Céline, et la finesse de ses interprétations valent à ces prestations pourtant exigeantes un très grand succès.

© Editions du Seuil, 1977

© et (p) Audiolib 2010

Avis des membres:

Luchini Perfect!

A magnificent book with a perfect voice and narration.

A amazing experience.

An anatomy of love

This is a most wonderful, erudite exploration. It is best in French but the English version is quite scrupulous. An excellent means to understand your own sufferings in love, it provides an anatomy of its stages. The best gift you can give to the suffering, lovers and people you are fond of.

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Título: El Beso [The Kiss]

Autor: Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer

Narrador: Sonolibro

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 34 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 03-15-11

Editor: Sonolibro

Calificaciones: 4.5 de 5 de 6 votos

Categorías: Classics, European Literature

Resumen del editor:

¿Puede un soldado enamorarse platónicamente?

El Beso cuándo los franceses entraron en Toledo, era tal su número que para poder darles un techo ocuparon los mejores edificios como cuarteles, pero aun así no fue bastante y empezaron a ocupar iglesias, conventos..... En un convento, donde se había aposentado un regimiento de dragones, empezaron los hombres a beber y uno entre ellos relató el enamoramiento que había surgido en él.... para mofa de todos sus compañeros.... pero alguien no solo no permitió la mofa, sino que castigó severamente al que se mofaba.... Hay ciertas cosas de las que uno no se puede reir.... La música que han escuchado en esta obra es de los Ficheros de música clásica de Ramón Pajares Box.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

Opiniones de los miembros:

An enjoyable ghost story

A well-told, atmospheric ghost story set in the time of the Peninsular war, with interesting historical incidentals about military life at the time.

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Title: The Dead

Author: James Joyce

Narrator: Jim Killavey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-04-11

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 25 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

James Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers of the early 20th century. Although best known for Ulysses and The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, he also wrote a number of shorter works. Chief among them is "The Dead," which was published as part of a collection in 1914.

Like many of his stories, "The Dead" develops toward a moment of painful self-awareness and spiritual awakening which Joyce described as an "epiphany." Most critics consider this the finest of his short works and often describe it as "a masterpiece." One critic called it "Perhaps the greatest written in the English language." In 1987, John Huston directed a movie version as his last feature film. In 1999 it became a Broadway musical. After a successful run on Broadway, the play won a Tony for Best Book.

Critic Reviews:

"With a sure touch, beautiful language and the omniscient and impersonal narrator favored in the last century, The Dead is the equivalent of an entire Flaubert or Balzac novel encapsulated in a short story. It shares with novels of hundreds of pages the capture of an entire social world....There is an unforced beauty in the dialog unparalleled by other modern authors." (The Ethical Spectacle)

Members Reviews:

Simple ... but really good

A very simple theme ... an amusing story ... and an absolutely deep ending ... the difference between the concept of living and mere surviving ... would recommend it to anyone

Fantastic Joyce-Lite

This is one of Joyces best and most approachable works. I like Ulysses but it takes a lot of concentration. The Dead has many of the best aspects of Joyce but is short and easy to listen to. The narration was quite good, but Joyce is particularly challenging to read aloud, and this narration was not quite up to the writing. If you havent read any Joyce, this is an excellent place to start.

Good for what it was

I am not a big fan of this older style but this story was alright.

Brilliant short story ruined by poor narration

'The Dead' is wonderfully rich and affecting and is rightly regarded as a masterpiece of short fiction. Unfortunately it is spoiled here by having what sounds like an American narrator who, for me, fails to express these qualities. To compound this, there are also some absolute howlers of mispronunciation (e.g. Connaught/ Connacht).

This beautiful story deserves an excellent, standalone, unabridged reading by one of the many superb Irish actors who could do it real justice. Now that the copyright on Joyce's work has been lifted, how about it?

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Title: A Modest Proposal

Author: Jonathan Swift

Narrator: Robert Blumenfeld

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-24-11

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People in Ireland From Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public, commonly referred to as A Modest Proposal, is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729. Swift suggests in his essay that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies. By doing this he mocks the authority of the British officials.

A Modest Proposal is included in many literature programs as an example of early modern western satire. It also serves as an exceptional introduction to the concept and use of argumentative language, lending itself well to secondary and post-secondary essay courses. Outside of the realm of English studies, A Modest Proposal is a relevant piece included in many comparative and global literature and history courses, as well as those of numerous other disciplines in the arts, humanities, and even the social sciences.

Editorial Reviews:

Narrator Robert Blumenfeld understands the sardonic attitude of Jonathan Swift's Juvenalian satire perfectly, and he utilizes a pompous, flowery tone in his performance with obvious relish. Swift suggests in his essay that the impoverished Irish might improve their lot by selling their children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies. Much like Swift, Blumenfeld doesn't hold back and describes the possible preparation styles for the children and calculations showing the financial benefits of cannibalism with humorously exaggerated condescension and smugness. Listeners will be truly entertained by his fun approach to Swift's most famous work.

Members Reviews:

Not a bad proposal at all

This audiobook is a collection of Swift's essays, letters, and other works. The best known of these is "A Modest Proposal" wherein the author puts forward a rather original scheme to solve the problem of the poor children of Ireland. As this is a renowned piece of literature most of you probably know what he had in mind, if you do not, the fork on the cover can be taken as a hint.

I am not sure if one was supposed to enjoy this bitter satire but I did. However, if I were to pick my personal favourite, I would go for "Directions To Servants" which was not bitter at all and made me burst out laughing every now and again.

There were some minor pieces I could not get into the spirit of, particularly the letters, many of which felt "out of context". You cannot help admiring the language though.

On the whole I can recommend this audiobook. Not everything in it is brilliant but there are some real gems to be found.

Very nice collection of letters/essays of J Swift

The audiobook give you a very good collection of Jonathan Swift's sermons, short essays, letters, and pranks over his years.