Literature Podcasts
Librivox: Join Now to Follow
1862 Anna Leonowens accepted an offer made by the Siamese consul in Singapore, Tan Kim Ching, to teach the wives and children of Mongkut, king of Siam. The king wished to give his 39 wives and concubines and 82 children a modern Western education on scientific secular lines, which earlier missionaries' wives had not provided. Leonowens sent her daughter Avis to school in England, and took her son Louis with her to Bangkok. She succeeded Dan Beach Bradley, an American missionary, as teacher to the Siamese court. Leonowens served at court until 1867, a period of nearly six years, first as a teacher and later as language secretary for the king. Although her position carried great respect and even a degree of political influence, she did not find the terms and conditions of her employment to her satisfaction, and came to be regarded by the king himself as a rather difficult woman. In 1868 Leonowens was on leave for her health in England and had been negotiating a return to the court on better terms when Mongkut fell ill and died. The king mentioned Leonowens and her son in his will, though they did not receive the legacy. The new monarch, fifteen-year-old Chulalongkorn, who succeeded his father, wrote Leonowens a warm letter of thanks for her services. By 1869 Leonowens was in New York, and began contributing travel articles to a Boston journal, Atlantic Monthly, including 'The Favorite of the Harem', reviewed by the New York Times as 'an Eastern love story, having apparently a strong basis of truth'.She expanded her articles into two volumes of memoirs, beginning with The English Governess at the Siamese Court (1870), which earned her immediate fame but also brought charges of sensationalism. In her writing she casts a critical eye over court life; the account is not always a flattering one, and has become the subject of controversy in Thailand; she has also been accused of exaggerating her influence with the king.”
By LibriVox
Christian Heinke - Die Haut - Podcast - AudiobookJoin Now to Follow
'The Skin' is my latest Thriller-Project. I'm updating the adventures of the former supermodel Katherine Williams every month. 'Die Haut' ist mein aktuelles Thriller Projekt. Jeden Monat wird von mir die Geschichte um das ehemalige Supermodel Katherine Williams fortgesetzt.
By Christian Heinke
Librivox: Concerning Cats: My Own and Some Others by Winslow, Helen M.Join Now to Follow
"I have known, and loved, and studied many cats, but my knowledge of her (Pretty Lady, a cat) alone would convince me that cats love people--in their dignified, reserved way, and when they feel that their love is not wasted; that they reason, and that they seldom act from impulse." The thoughts of Helen Winslow, a thoughtful and articulate cat friend, about the cats in her life. (Summary by Karen Merline)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Story Hour Readers: Third Year by Coe, IdaJoin Now to Follow
Short and sweet stories for children from the 19th century. The stories were compiled by two New York City teachers and were thought appropriate for third year children at that time.
By LibriVox
The Dune Saga PodcastJoin Now to Follow
The Dune Saga Podcast (Scott Hertzog - The SciFi Diner Podcast; David Moulton - The Lancast; and Jim Arrowood - Jim's SciFi Blog) are taking a chronological journey through all the Dune novels, starting with the Legends of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, working our way through Frank Herbert's original Dune series, and moving our way beyond. Come join the conversation.
By The Dune Saga Podcast
Librivox: Dombey and Son by Dickens, CharlesJoin Now to Follow
Charles Dickens the author of Dombey and Son, originally wrote the book in installments which were published from October 1846 to April 1848 under the title Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation. The story centers around Paul Dombey, the stern owner of the Firm. He is totally immersed in having his newly born son continue the business, and entirely neglects his daughter Florence. Tragedy occurs, and Florence’s plight worsens. As the years go by, Mr. Dombey sees to it that the man she loves, his employee, is sent far away. Mr Dombey remarries, but his marriage is eventually destroyed, his fortune gone, he becomes destitute. Finally he accepts help from his daughter, and life changes for him. Many wonderful characters interweave the tale, as in all Dickens literary masterpieces. (Summary by Mil Nicholson)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Elegiac Sonnets and Other Poems by Smith, Charlotte TurnerJoin Now to Follow
Charlotte Turner Smith (1749 – 1806) was an English poet and novelist. She initiated a revival of the English sonnet, helped establish the conventions of Gothic fiction, and wrote political novels of sensibility. It was in 1784, in debtor's prison with her husband Benjamin, that she wrote and published her first work, Elegiac Sonnets. The work achieved instant success, allowing Charlotte to pay for their release from prison. Smith's sonnets helped initiate a revival of the form and granted an aura of respectability to her later novels. Stuart Curran, the editor of Smith's poems, has written that Smith is "the first poet in England whom in retrospect we would call Romantic". She helped shape the "patterns of thought and conventions of style" for the period. Romantic poet William Wordsworth was the most affected by her works. He said of Smith in the 1830s that she was "a lady to whom English verse is under greater obligations than are likely to be either acknowledged or remembered". By the second half of the nineteenth century, however, Smith was largely forgotten.
By LibriVox
Phil Rossi Media PodcastsJoin Now to Follow
The home of free audio fiction, podcasts, music, and other goodies from Phil Rossi
By Phil Rossi
The Artifexian PodcastJoin Now to Follow
Edgar Grunewald and Bill McGrath discuss all things worldbuilding - the process of constructing fictional settings.
By Edgar Grunewald & Bill McGrath
Librivox: Short Science Fiction Collection 012 by VariousJoin Now to Follow
Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and case) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves sociological and technical speculations based on current or future science or technology. This is a reader-selected collection of short stories that entered the US public domain when their copyright was not renewed. Summary by Cori Samuel, with Wikipedia input.
By LibriVox
