Season 1 Episode 7

The Wild Swans is a classic fairy tale written by the renowned Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Andersen, born on April 2, 1805, is best known for his enchanting and imaginative stories that have captured the hearts of readers worldwide. His works, including "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Snow Queen," have become timeless treasures of children's literature.

"The Wild Swans" tells the story of a young princess named Elisa and her brave journey to rescue her eleven brothers who have been turned into swans by an evil sorceress. In order to break the spell and save her brothers, Elisa embarks on a quest to gather and weave together stinging nettles into shirts for each of them. However, the sorceress, determined to thwart her efforts, places obstacles in her path, testing her resolve and determination.

Throughout the tale, Elisa faces numerous challenges and sacrifices as she battles against time and the sorceress's malevolence. She must remain silent while weaving the shirts, and any unfinished shirt will cause her brother's fate to remain unchanged. The story beautifully captures themes of perseverance, love, and the transformative power of selflessness.

In the mid-20th century, "The Wild Swans" gained further popularity through its radio adaptation in the Hallmark Playhouse series. Hallmark Playhouse was a popular radio drama program that aired from 1948 to 1953. It presented dramatizations of literary classics and contemporary works, bringing stories to life through voice acting, sound effects, and music. The radio presentation of "The Wild Swans" allowed listeners to immerse themselves in the enchanting world of Andersen's tale, experiencing the magic and adventure through their imaginations. The combination of Andersen's timeless storytelling and the captivating medium of radio made "The Wild Swans" a memorable and beloved part of the Hallmark Playhouse series.

Books in Sound is a free podcast series that presents a collection of hundreds of the world’s greatest books through the magic of the performing arts.

Different from audiobooks: Instead of having a single narrator read an audiobook, these performances have a full cast of actors, suitable background music, and special effects that help define the drama.

Most presentations are from old time radio theater broadcasts that have been remastered to remove most of the hissing, clicking and volume fluctuations. Many of the presentations are from the 1930's and 1940's, so a significant amount of work went into the remastering process.

Most presentations are about one hour, some are multiple hours, and some are abbreviated presentation that last about half an hour, making this series wonderful for bedtime stories, self-improvement by learning about literature, or simply as a very imaginative form of entertainment.

The episodes are not sequential, but we do recommend listening to the complete collection starting with the first episode so that you can grow and benefit from the wide assortment of styles and content.

For more information visit https://www.booksinsound.com