Podcast Directory

Librivox: Diary of a Nobody, The by Grossmith, George show

Librivox: Diary of a Nobody, The by Grossmith, GeorgeJoin Now to Follow

The Diary of a Nobody is the fictitious record of fifteen months in the life of Charles Pooter, his family, friends and small circle of acquaintances. It first appeared, serialised in Punch magazine and might be regarded as the first ‘blog’; being a record of the simplicities and humiliations in the life of this mundane, but upright, city clerk, who had an incontestable faith that a record of his daily life was worth preserving for posterity. Set in about 1891 in Holloway, which was then a typical suburb of the impecuniously respectable kind, the authors contrive a record of the manners, customs and experiences of the late Victorian era. The bare record of facts, simply recorded, manages to be humorous rather than dull, no doubt because of the usual occupations of the authors. George Grossmith (1847-1912) was an actor and comedian. Weedon Grossmith (1852-1919) was an entertainer and illustrated the original work. (Summary by Martin Clifton)

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Librivox: Chapters from my Autobiography by Twain, Mark show

Librivox: Chapters from my Autobiography by Twain, MarkJoin Now to Follow

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) began writing his autobiography long before the 1906 publications of these Chapters from my Autobiography. He originally planned to have his memoirs published only after his death but realized, once he’d passed his 70th year, that a lot of the material might be OK to publish before his departure. These chapters were published in serial form in the North American Review during 1906-1907. While much of the material consists of stories about the people, places and incidents of his long life, there’re also several sections from his daughter, which he calls “Susy’s biography of me”. (Summary by John Greenman)

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Librivox: Sarrasine by Balzac, Honoré de show

Librivox: Sarrasine by Balzac, Honoré deJoin Now to Follow

Published by Honoré de Balzac in the tempestuous year of 1830, the tale follows the undulating pathways of Sarrasine the sculptor’s shocking journey to his coming of age. As one of the “fathers of realism” Balzac painted with his words a vivid portrait of life in the swirling salons of Europe at the end of the Bourbon monarchy, and we follow Sarrasine from France to Italy in search of both his métier and his muse. However it is also the story of La Zambinella, an Italian singer with whom Sarrasine falls madly and passionately in love. But that passion holds a secret which Sarrasine spies too late. (Summary by Chip)

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Librivox: Über die Weiber by Schopenhauer, Arthur show

Librivox: Über die Weiber by Schopenhauer, ArthurJoin Now to Follow

In diesem vielzitierten Essay aus dem Jahre 1851 ist Schopenhauers generell herablassende Einstellung zu Frauen zusammengefaßt. Frauen, laut Schopenhauer, sind Wesen zweiter Klasse mit weniger Vernunft als Maenner, und sind biologisch zur List und Intrige getrieben... Schopenhauers dominante Mutter Johanna, eine bekannte Schriftstellerin, wird oft als Ursache für die Frauenfeindlichkeit ihres Sohns genannt. (Zusammenfassung von Gesine)

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Librivox: Song of Wandering Aengus, The by Yeats, William Butler show

Librivox: Song of Wandering Aengus, The by Yeats, William ButlerJoin Now to Follow

LibriVox volunteers bring you eighteen different readings of The Song of Wandering Aengus , by Irish poet William Butler Yeats, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. This is Yeats in his faerie folklore vein, and he paints an evocative picture of a beautiful brush with the supernatural. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of March 12, 2006. (Summary by Fox in the Stars)

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Librivox: Congo, The by Lindsay, Vachel show

Librivox: Congo, The by Lindsay, VachelJoin Now to Follow

The Congo is one of the best-known poems by American poet Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931). It was revolutionary in its use of sounds and rhythms — as sounds and rhythms — and includes elaborate annotations to guide its spoken performance. Lindsay categorized The Congo as “higher Vaudeville” and was famous for his exuberant performances of it. The poem’s imagery is racist, but Lindsay was a product of his time — born 14 years after the end of the American Civil War in Abraham Lincoln’s hometown, he revered Lincoln and viewed himself as a friend and supporter of African-American culture. (Summary by Kathy Thile)

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Librivox: Gettysburg Address, The (version 2) by Lincoln, Abraham show

Librivox: Gettysburg Address, The (version 2) by Lincoln, AbrahamJoin Now to Follow

The Gettysburg Address is the most famous speech of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. It was delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War, four and a half months after the Battle of Gettysburg. (Summary from Wikipedia)

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Librivox: Bible (Hebrew) 01:  Genesis by Hebrew Bible show

Librivox: Bible (Hebrew) 01: Genesis by Hebrew BibleJoin Now to Follow

Genesis is the story of the Creation and the people that followed it. The place is Canaan which is the land of Israel and the adjoining nations. The Book discusses the complex relationship between God and Mankind and portrays the travails of one particular family, the family of Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The book is priceless in its description of the custom of the day and the interaction within the family, tribe and Nation. But most of all the beauty of Genesis lies in the description of human behavior from its petty jealousies through unrelenting commitment for a worthy cause and love for family and friends. We follow the trials and tribulation of the main characters as they deal with adverse circumstances and at times global annihilation. Important part of the book is also the recounting of the genealogy of the people from Adam and Eve to Joseph in Egypt. A connection is made to other different nations and tribes. The Hebrew language is the original language of the Bible. Although Hebrew went through several transformations so far as the shape of the Alphabet, the text is consistent. (summary by Israel Radvinsky)

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Librivox: King Solomon's Mines by Haggard, H. Rider show

Librivox: King Solomon's Mines by Haggard, H. RiderJoin Now to Follow

King Solomon’s Mines, first published in 1885, was a best-selling novel by the Victorian adventure writer H. Rider Haggard. It relates a journey into the heart of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain in search of the legendary wealth said to be concealed in the mines of the novel’s title. It is significant as the first fictional adventure novel set in Africa, and is considered the genesis of the Lost World literary genre. - Haggard wrote over 50 books, among which were 14 novels starring Allan Quatermain. (Summary by Wikipedia/John Nicholson)

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Librivox: Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse by Sewell, Anna show

Librivox: Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse by Sewell, AnnaJoin Now to Follow

Black Beauty is Anna Sewell’s first and only novel. The story is told in the “first person” (or first horse) as an autobiographical memoir of a highbred horse named Black Beauty, from his carefree days as a foal on an English farm, to his difficult life pulling cabs in London, to his happy retirement in the country. Along the way, he meets with many hardships and recounts many tales of cruelty and kindness. Each short chapter recounts an incident in Black Beauty’s life containing a lesson or moral typically related to the kindness, sympathy, and understanding treatment of horses. (Summary from wikipedia.org)

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