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Title details for Great American Authors Read from Their Works, Volume 1 by Calliope Author Readings - Available

Great American Authors Read from Their Works, Volume 1

#1 in series

by Calliope Author Readings
James Baldwin
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

These five recordings of twentieth-century American authors interpreting their own works were highly praised when first released in the 1960s. Today the cultural and historical value of these recordings makes them an essential part of our literary heritage.

This volume contains readings by James Baldwin from Giovanni's Room and Another Country, exploring the challenges of being black and gay in mid-twentieth century America. William Styron reads about a disabled child finding brief moments of joy in Lie Down in Darkness, his novel about a troubled Southern family. James Jones reads the most famous passage from his celebrated World War II novel, From Here to Eternity. And Philip Roth does a hilarious comic turn in a bizarre scene from his early novel, Letting Go.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Great American Authors Read from Their Works

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 15, 2014

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781483019345
      • File size: 36522 KB
      • Duration: 01:16:05

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      [Editors? Note: The following is a combined review of Volume 1 and Volume 2.]--What a treasure it is to have this collection of some of modern literature's best authors reading some of their most renowned works for fans and future generations. Listeners will hear James Baldwin's anger and underlying bitterness in his tone as well as William Styron's particular enunciation and subtle vocal variations. This production also features two cuts with James Jones, describing sublime details as men prepare for battle. Philip Roth narrates with obvious emotion as he recounts his characters' plights. Bernard Malamud's slight accent and love for his characters are both entertaining and personal. John Updike's soft but firm delivery and Nelson Algren's nasal tone and clipped narration make for great storytelling as well as providing insight into the creative process. R.O. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
    • School Library Journal

      June 1, 2014

      Gr 8 Up-James Baldwin, William Styron, James Jones, Nelson Algren, Bernard Malamud, and John Updike read their own works in these reissues, making the literature seem immediate and evocative. Baldwin's stories, "Another Country" and "Giovanni's Room," are intensely personal, with adult language, suicide, and sexuality. Styron's "Lie Down in Darkness" bears a strange portent of abandonment and death. "From Here to Eternity" and "The Thin Red Line" are Jones's war stories that reveal a poetic horror. Algren's "The Man With the Golden Arm" refers to a card shark and addict, while Malamud's "Mourners" is a view of decrepit old age at its most unbearable. "Lifeguard," as read by Updike, gives insight into a young man's arrogance and ego. The most skilled reader is undoubtedly Philip Roth, who believably creates three separate characters in "Letting Go." Liner notes will help listeners understand the time in which the writings take place as well as the context of each work. These masterpieces are all notable examples of 20th-century American short stories, and hearing the writers interpreting their own words is a rare treat.-Lonna Pierce, MacArthur and Thomas Jefferson Elementary Schools, Binghamton, NY

      Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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