Audiobook versions

exoskeletonkey

exoskeletonkey

New Member
I listened to the full Divine Comedy about a year ago and went with the 2013 "Audible Studios" release narrated by Edoardo Ballerini (Clive James translation). It was fine enough, but I'm curious if anyone has already given a listen to any other editions in audiobook format. At the time I wanted to have all three parts collected in one edition, but if I'll be rereading just Inferno, there seem to be a lot more options.

I have also listened to the ~3hr BBC dramatization version and it wasn't for me.

Any opinions?
 
If you search any podcast app, you can find several free versions. There is one from Loyalbooks.com that I like; it's the Longfellow translation.
 
I will take a look at that. One issue with free versions is that the quality can be variable. One of the hardest parts of selecting audiobooks/ebooks when reading the classics is that without copyright restrictions, a lot of product of dubious quality gets produced...
 
Not quite an audio book, but there are some youtube videos of Roberto Benigni reading the original Italian. I especially like his reading of Inferno V.

They are enjoyable and affecting readings, even without quite understanding the language.
 
exoskeletonkey said:
One of the hardest parts of selecting audiobooks/ebooks when reading the classics is that without copyright restrictions, a lot of product of dubious quality gets produced
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You are so right.

I have listened to quite a few free audiobooks from Librivox.org. The quality goes from absolutely stunning to absolutely unlistenable. The worst human readers are actually worse than the slew of computer-read audiobooks that were created in the early 2000's, which are horrible. At least you can test them out before you download a whole audiobook. Beware of "collaborative" versions: these have different readers for each chapter, and I find them very disconcerting.

My favorite is reader is Mil Nicholson: she is a professional actor and concentrates on Dickens with great success. I am also very fond of Adrian Praetzellis' rather deadpan reading of The Wind in the Willows. Use "advanced search" on the web site to find particular readers.
 
Jim Deutch said:
The quality goes from absolutely stunning to absolutely unlistenable.
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This has been my experience as well. I love the idea behind Librivox, but when the rubber hits the road, I don't usually end up listening to their versions. You can find most major works on something like Hoopla or Overdrive through your library for free, so I tend to stick to the professionals. I will have to check out Mil Nicholson, though. Thanks for the rec!
 
I found the BBC adaptation online--it's currently free through BBC Radio. Though it has modernized dialogue and a 'frame narrative' of sorts, I'm just thrilled to find one that has John Hurt and David Warner. I mean, diehard Whovian points here!
 
Let us know what you think after you listen to it. I just couldn't enjoy it. I found the "radio exposition" really grating. How everyone is always saying things like "what is this i see before me? it's a..." and so on.
 
Am i the only one who finds Andy Serkis reading of LotR really...variable? I am at the Battle og Pelennor Fields now and i finds his voicing of the Witch King, Ghan-Buri-Ghan and Denethor really awful. Especially the former.
And do not get me started on Tom Bombadil...........

It is really annoying...i am listening along just fine and then suddenly..."Aaaarrrggghhh".

There is talk about him reading The Silmarillion and i think that that book will suit him better with its more archaic style and less direct dialogue.

I see now that that this is the "Classical and medeival litterature" thread. Perhaps a moderator can move this post to a more fitting place or start a new thread?
 
I'm currently listening to the Canterbury Tales narrated by Charlton Griffin. It isn't bad. He narrates a lot of "classics" on Audible.
 
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