Arts Podcasts
Librivox: Avventure di Pinocchio, Le by Collodi, CarloJoin Now to Follow
Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino è il titolo del romanzo ottocentesco che ha come protagonista un notissimo personaggio di finzione, appunto Pinocchio, burattino di legno al centro di celeberrime avventure. Si tratta di un classico della cosiddetta letteratura per ragazzi e fu scritto nel 1881 da Collodi (pseudonimo dello scrittore Carlo Lorenzini). Il personaggio di Pinocchio - burattino umanizzato nella tendenza a nascondersi dietro facili menzogne e a cui cresce il naso in rapporto ad ogni bugia che dice - è stato fatto proprio con il tempo anche dal mondo del cinema e da quello dei fumetti. Sulla sua figura sono stati inoltre realizzati album musicali e allestimenti teatrali in forma di musical. Nelle intenzioni di Collodi pare non vi fosse quella di creare un racconto per l’infanzia: nella prima versione, infatti, il burattino moriva, impiccato a causa dei suoi innumerevoli errori. Solo nelle versioni successive, pubblicate a puntate su un quotidiano (il Giornale per bambini), la storia venne modificata con il classico finale che oggi si conosce, con il burattino che assume le fattezze di un ragazzo in carne ed ossa. (Summary from Wikipedia)
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Librivox: Our Island Story, Part 2 by Marshall, Henrietta ElizabethJoin Now to Follow
Our Island Story was first published in 1905 and became an instant classic. Beginning with the Romans and following the triumphs and foibles of the good, not so good and the downright despicable figures of history; we are treated to a dazzling montage of kings, queens, barons, knights, explorers, movers and shakers that have played a key role in the history of England. Marshall freely mixes folk tale with historical fact and in so doing paints a very vivid picture of the past in a style reminiscent of all that is finest in the children’s story-telling tradition. This is the second section of that work and will carry you from the convoluted and bloody ‘Wars of the Roses’ up to the death of Queen Victoria and the resolution of the Boer War. Please be advised that this book was written in the early years of the 20th century and there will be words and phrases used then, in all innocence, that are considered politically incorrect in this age. It’s perfectly fine for children to listen to but please ensure there is someone on hand who can explain these terms in a mature fashion.(Summary by Jim) o Samples o Feedback * volunteer for LibriVox
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Librivox: One Hundred Verses from Old Japan by Fujiwara no TeikaJoin Now to Follow
In 12th-13th century Japan there lived a man named Fujiwara no Teika (sometimes called Sadaie), a well-regarded poet in a society that prized poetry. At one point in his life he compiled the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (often known simply as the Hyakunin Isshu), which means “A Hundred Poems by A Hundred Poets” (literally “A hundred people, one poem [each]”). This collection of a hundred poems is known to almost all Japanese, and over the years it has been translated by many different people. One of the early translators of the collection was William Porter. His translation, first published in 1909, was titled “A Hundred Verses from Old Japan”. (Summary by Kevin Steinbach)
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Librivox: Card, The by Bennett, ArnoldJoin Now to Follow
The ‘Card’ in question is Edward Henry Machin - His mother called him ‘Denry’. This light-hearted story is of his rise from humble beginnings as the son of a washerwoman and sempstress in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, in the pottery towns (which Arnold Bennett christened ‘The Five Towns’) of the English Midlands; how, by his own wits, enterprise and ‘nerve’ he rose to wealth, married bliss and public recognition as the youngest-ever mayor of his home town. “’And yet,’ demanded Councillor Barlow, ‘what’s he done? What great cause is he identified with?’ ‘He’s identified,’ said the speaker, ‘with the great cause of cheering us all up’.” (summary by Andy Minter)
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Librivox: Short Story Collection Vol. 006 by VariousJoin Now to Follow
Librivox's Short Story Collection 006: a collection of 20 short essays and fiction in the public domain read by a variety of Librivox members.
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Librivox: Short Poetry Collection 013 by VariousJoin Now to Follow
Librivox’s Short Poetry Collection 013: a collection of 20 public-domain poems.
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Librivox: Golden Goose Book, The by Brooke, L. LeslieJoin Now to Follow
A charming little book full of the most gorgeous illustrations which can be viewed along with the Gutenberg text at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/15661 . We see a number of stories in which kindness is rewarded and selfishness is punished but Brooke squeezes a number of intriguing and quite bizarre twists and turns into the story so it is not nearly so predictable as you might imagine. Victorian moral fairy tales from a delightfully inventive mind. (Summary by Jim)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Ozymandias of Egypt by Shelley, Percy ByssheJoin Now to Follow
LibriVox volunteers bring you sixteen different recordings of Ozymandias of Egypt, by Percy Bysshe Shelley. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of August 20th, 2006.
By LibriVox
Librivox: Short Poetry Collection 012 by VariousJoin Now to Follow
Librivox’s Short Poetry Collection 012: a collection of 20 public-domain poems.
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Librivox: History of the Peloponnesian War, The by ThucydidesJoin Now to Follow
The History of the Peloponnesian War is an account of the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece, fought between the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta) and the Delian League (led by Athens) in the 5th Century BC. It was written by Thucydides, an Athenian general who served in the war. It is widely considered a classic and regarded as one of the earliest scholarly works of history. The History is divided into eight books. These book divisions are the work of editors in later antiquity. W. R. Connor [...] describes Thucydides as "an artist who responds to, selects and skillfully arranges his material, and develops its symbolic and emotional potential." (Summary from Wikipedia)
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