Arts Podcasts
Librivox: Early Spring by Inchfawn, FayJoin Now to Follow
The Vernal Equinox signals the time when the winter’s cold mantle begins to succumb to the warming influences of the oncoming spring. Fay Inchfawn (nee Elizabeth Rebecca Ward) took the springtime of 1920 as her inspiration for the bright promise of beauty and new life described in Early Spring. LibriVox volunteers bring you eight different readings of this magical work to celebrate the Vernal Equinox. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of March 19, 2006. (Summary by Chip)
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Librivox: Velveteen Rabbit, The by Williams, MargeryJoin Now to Follow
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day... Written in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit , or, How Toys Become Real is the tale of a sweet unassuming toy rabbit who questions what it is to live and to love. It was the first children's title written by Margery Williams (1881 - 1944), who had previously created only for adults. This story eclipsed all others, to become her most famous work, and an ever adored classic for all ages. (Summary written by Marlo Dianne) "It was by a sort of accident that The Velveteen Rabbit became the beginning of all the stories I have written since…By thinking about toys and remembering toys, they suddenly become very much alive. Toys I had loved as a little girl--my almost forgotten Tubby, who was the rabbit, and Old Dobbin, the Skin Horse, and the toys my children had loved." -- Margery Williams
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Librivox: Krasavitse by Pushkin, AlexanderJoin Now to Follow
Krasavitse, Kotoraya Niuhala Tabak ( To a Beautiful woman, Who Was Smelling Tobacco ) is a small poem written by Alexander Pushkin, a famous Russian poet well known outside the Russia. The author describes in a fun and artistc way the conflict between an image inside of his head of the beautiful and lovely women on the one hand, and her action - smelling tobacco - on the other hand! Can anyone imagine two more incompatible things than a clean and bright woman and a dirty toy of alcoholics and sailors - tobacco! This conflict hit the author straight into his heart, so he couldn’t ignore it and wrote this amazing poem upon such a revelational theme. (Summary written by Yakovlev Valery)
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Librivox: Wisdom of Father Brown, The by Chesterton, G. K.Join Now to Follow
This is the second of five books of short stories about G. K. Chesterton’s fictional detective, first published in 1914. Father Brown is a short, nondescript Catholic Priest with shapeless clothes and a large umbrella who has an uncanny insight into human evil. His methods, unlike those of his near contemporary Sherlock Holmes, although based on observation of details often unnoticed by others, tended to be intuitive rather than deductive. Although clearly devout, he always emphasizes rationality: despite his religiousness and his belief in God and miracles, he manages to see the perfectly ordinary, natural explanation of the problem. He is a devout, educated and "civilized" clergyman, who is totally familiar with contemporary and secular thought and behavior. His character was thought to be based on Father John O'Connor (1870 - 1952), a parish priest in Bradford, Yorkshire. (Summary by Martin)
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Librivox: Auf der Galerie by Kafka, FranzJoin Now to Follow
In der Erzählung “Auf der Galerie” beschreibt Franz Kafka in zwei komplett gegensätzlichen Perspektiven die Darbietung einer Künstlerin in der Manege eines Zirkus und das Leiden des Galeriebesuchers durch diesen beiden Darbietungen.
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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: Aesop's Fables, Volume 09 (Fables 201-225) by AesopJoin Now to Follow
Dating back to the 6th century BC, Aesop's Fables tell universal truths through the use of simple allegories that are easily understood. Though almost nothing is known of Aesop himself, and some scholars question whether he existed at all, these stories stand as timeless classics known in almost every culture in the world. This is volume 9 of 12. (Summary by Chip)
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Librivox: Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery, Lucy MaudJoin Now to Follow
Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic children’s novel, Anne of Green Gables tells the story of a red headed orphan girl with a personality you can’t help but love. Despite her “tragical” past, Anne’s optimism and imagination have helped her to always see the best in things. Anne’s life changes considerably when she is accidentally adopted by the Cuthberts, a brother and sister who thought they were getting a boy to help out on the farm. The Cuthberts decide Anne will have to be sent back to the orphange but before they know it, she has begun to work her way into their hearts. (Summary by Annie Coleman)
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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, 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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