Arts Podcasts
Librivox: War and Peace, Book 01: 1805 by Tolstoy, LeoJoin Now to Follow
War and Peace (Russian: Война и мир, Voyna i mir; in original orthography: Война и миръ, Voyna i mir") is an epic novel by Leo Tolstoy, first published from 1865 to 1869 in Russki Vestnik, which tells the story of Russian society during the Napoleonic Era. It is usually described as one of Tolstoy's two major masterpieces (the other being Anna Karenina) as well as one of the world's greatest novels. War and Peace offered a new kind of fiction, with a great many characters caught up in a plot that covered nothing less than the grand subjects indicated by the title, combined with the equally large topics of youth, age and marriage. While today it is considered a novel, it broke so many novelistic conventions of its day that many critics of Tolstoy's time did not consider it as such. Tolstoy himself considered Anna Karenina (1878) to be his first attempt at a novel in the European sense. (Summary by Wikipedia) Note: The novel is split in 15 books. This is the recording of book one, which covers the events in the year 1805. The recording of the next book is in progress. The project thread can be found here: http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7275
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Librivox: Robinson Crusoe in Words of One Syllable by Aikin, LucyJoin Now to Follow
Mary Godolphin was the pseudonym of Lucy Aikin who undertook translating great literature into single-syllable words so that young readers could enjoy plots that were considerably more interesting than, say, the McGuffey readers of the 1880's or the "Dick and Jane" primers of the 1950s (still around today as "decodable readers" in elementary schools). She produced this volume based on Daniel Defoe's most famous work, considered by many to be the first English novel (1719). She also rendered Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Wyss' Swiss Family Robinson, which she translated as well.
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Librivox: Little Lord Fauntleroy by Burnett, Frances HodgsonJoin Now to Follow
Little Lord Fauntleroy is a sentimental children's novel by American (English-born) author Frances Hodgson Burnett, serialized in St. Nicholas Magazine in 1885. It was a runaway hit for the magazine and was separately published in 1886. The book was a commercial success for its author, and its illustrations by Reginal Birch set fashion trends. Little Lord Fauntleroy also set a precedent in copyright law in 1888 when its author won a lawsuit over the rights to theatrical adaptations of the work. (Summary from Wikipedia)
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Librivox: Some Turns of Thought in Modern Philosophy by Santayana, GeorgeJoin Now to Follow
Before the beginning of World War II, during the time of the Modernist movement in philosophy, George Santayana wrote these five descriptive essays. He examined John Locke’s sensationalism, British Idealism, the “Theory of Relativity”, Freud’s psychology, and Julien Benda’s preachment on the relations between God and the world. [Summary written by Gary]
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Librivox: White People, The by Machen, ArthurJoin Now to Follow
Literary critics see Arthur Machen’s works as a significant part of the late Victorian revival of the gothic novel and the decadent movement of the 1890s, bearing direct comparison to the themes found in contemporary works like Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. The White People is a highly influential horror story of a young girl's discovery of ancient magic. It was written in the late 1890s as part of a longer unfinished novel, some sketches from which went into his book Ornaments in Jade. Fans of supernatural fiction often cite this story as a classic in the genre. (Summary by John and Wikipedia)
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Librivox: Scaramouche by Sabatini, RafaelJoin Now to Follow
Scaramouche is a romantic adventure and tells the story of a young aristocrat during the French Revolution. His successive endeavors as a lawyer, politician, actor, lover, and buffoon lead his enemies to call him "Scaramouche" (also called Scaramuccia, a roguish character in the commedia dell'arte), but he impresses many with his elegant orations and precision swordsmanship. The later film version includes one of the longest, and many believe, best swashbuckling sword-fighting scenes ever filmed. The novel has a memorable start (Book I: The Robe, Chapter I, 'The Republican'): "He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad. And that was all his patrimony. His very paternity was obscure, although the village of Gavrillacs had long since dispelled the cloud of mystery that hung about it." (Summary by Gord)
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Librivox: Star Surgeon by Nourse, Alan EdwardJoin Now to Follow
Dal Timgar had always wanted to be a doctor. As a Garvian and the first non-human to study medicine on Hospital Earth, he must face enormous adversity from classmates, professors, and some of the highest ranking physicians on all of Earth. Will his efforts be enough to earn him the Silver Star of a Star Surgeon? (Summary by Scott D. Farquhar)
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Librivox: Elixiere des Teufels, Die by Hoffmann, E.T.A.Join Now to Follow
Der Bruder Medardus ist ein hoch angesehenes, für seine feurigen Predigten bekanntes Mitglied der Klostergemeinde. Als ihm die Aufsicht über die Reliquienkammer übertragen wird, beginnt jedoch sein Niedergang. Unter den Schätzen befindet sich auch eine Flasche der Elixiere des Teufels, mit denen der Satan vor Jahrhunderten den heiligen Antonius verführen wollte. Ein Schluck aus der Flasche besiegelt seinen Abstieg. Obgleich seine Predigten feuriger denn je werden, verliert er sich in Selbstverliebtheit und entsagt so dem Göttlichen. In der Hoffnung, Medardus Seele zu retten schickt ihn der Prior des Klosters auf die Reise nach Rom. Einmal frei von den Mauern des Klosters, beginnt Medardus Kampf gegen den den Verführer. Seine Reise ist gegprägt von Lügen, Diebstahl und Mord. Immer wieder begegnet er Personen, die ihm erstaunlich ähnlich sind. In diesen findet er all seine Schwächen wieder, er schlüpft in ihre Rollen, versucht ihr Leben und findet letztlich doch wieder zu sich selbst zurück.
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Librivox: Spurgeon's Sermons May 1858 by Spurgeon, CharlesJoin Now to Follow
Charles Spurgeon was a popular Baptist minister in London in mid-Victorian times; his ministry was highly influential and had a significant effect on many families in London and further afield. It was difficult to find a hall large enough to accommodate the crowd who wished to hear him. At times the Royal Surrey Gardens' Music Hall was hired to accomodate the Sunday congregation; this could seat 10,000 but large numbers were unable to gain admittance. His world-wide heritage is very much with us today through the many chuches built, missionary work begun, children's charity founded and theological colleges established as a result of his ministry. The sermons in this collection were preached buring May 1898 and published immediately at one penny (1d.) each. These were widely circulated and remain one of the all-time best-selling series of writings. (Summary by Alan Chant)
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Librivox: Lectures on Landscape by Ruskin, JohnJoin Now to Follow
A series of lectures on landscape painting delivered at Oxford in 1871, by artist, critic, and social commentator, John Ruskin.
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