Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in World Literature

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Mark Twain was ingenious at political satire. In this short story Twain recounts his learning of the political system of the fictional Republic of Gondour. Listeners will tell quickly that Gondour had some pretty unusual laws related to the vote of the people. We end up just as confused as Twain intended, but the twist at the end brings us exactly where Twain intended for us to be - in our own country with our own politics.

>"The Raven" is an appropriate supernatural poem for the Halloween period. First published in 1845, it has long been a favourite of Edgar Allan Poe enthusiasts. Expertly voiced by Phillip J. Mather, this performance brings a musicality to the language of the poem, luring the listener into the desolate scene and keeping him spellbound as the tale unfolds.

When Mark Twain reflects on childhood you can be certain humor will follow. Such is the case with a young boy and an attempt to capture a turkey bare handed. You may wonder if you should sympathize with the turkey—or the boy.

When a hardened criminal kills guards and breaks out of prison, Steve Fraser, a lieutenant in the Texas Rangers, is tasked with bringing him to justice. From the bowels of a mine, deep underground, to the stone labyrinths of the mountains of Wyoming, Steve follows his quarry. But his chase requires him to befriend people who turn out to be wanted in another killing. How can he justify his actions with his innate sense of honesty, his new friends, and the bewitching woman he meets in their midst?

Award-winning audiobook narrator Mike Vendetti performs Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, one of Poe's best. Poe had a fear of being buried alive, and this theme runs through many of his tales, as it does this one. Poe may have also been a bit mad, and there is definitely madness in the House of Usher. Turn out the lights, and give this Gothic tale of horror a listen, but make sure you aren't alone.

This suspenseful novella focuses on the dark secret that haunts the aristocratic Trevlyn family since the untimely death of Sir Richard Trevlyn. His widow keeps the key to the mystery inside a locket, which she never takes off. When a charming stranger with ulterior motives gains access to Lady Trevlyn and her young daughter, will he unlock the family secrets along with their hearts? Fans of Alcott’s Little Women and her heroine Jo March’s racy stories will delight in this Victorian sensation novel.

The Adventures of Johnny Chuck tells the story of a feisty woodchuck named Johnny. Johnny decides he is unhappy with his home in the Green Forest and elects to venture into the wide, wide world. As he wanders he gets into a territory fight with another chuck, discovers a new home, learns there is some good in all, and discovers the most wonderful thing in the world.

Six lyrical parables, each with a typically Wildean twist: "The Artist"; "The Doer of Good"; "The Disciple"; "The Master"; "The House of Judgment"; "The Teacher of Wisdom". Published in 1894, but written earlier.

The Beautiful and Damned, F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1922 novel, introduced Fitzgerald fans to 22-year-old Gloria Gilbert, a drop-dead gorgeous, selfish, gumdrop-addicted beauty from Kansas City, and 25-year-old Anthony Patch, a handsome, heir-to-a-fortune, careless, spoiled Harvard graduate and New York bon vivant. The novel opens in 1913, a time of flappers, jazz clubs, silent movies, and, for those who could afford it, a 24/7 world of parties, booze, and social extravagances.

My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian." What else can be said about a dog, other than it is loyal and faithful, and can become so much a part of our lives.

An epic battle is taking place in Mudville. If the team can just hold on for Casey to get a whack then life will be grand. Such poise, such command, such promise. A classic poem narrated by Glenn Hascall.

A British newspaper editor in India does some favors for a memorable pair of strangers who confide in him their plan to become kings in Afghanistan. Then, two years later, he has a bizarre return visit - kings they have become, sure enough, but they've found the price of kingly mistakes was very high!

America a Prophecy (1793) is the first book in Blake’s Continental Prophecies - the other two being Europe a Prophecy (1794) and The Song of Los (1795). The poem was engraved on 18 plates with illustrations by Blake, and survives in 14 known copies. Written during a time of great political and social upheaval, Blake uses his own complex invented mythology to explore the human need to resist tyranny. His verse is rich in metaphor, powerful, and apocalyptic in scope.

The Wild Duck (Vilanden) is a tragedy with comic episodes. Ibsen himself characterized the play as a tragicomedy. It depicts ordinary life realistically instead of romantically and sentimentally, a revolutionary concept in Ibsen's time. The play is now generally acknowledged as one of Ibsen's supreme accomplishments.

Old Granny Fox was a wise old fox who lived with her grandson Reddy. Reddy is young and impulsive and gets into a great deal of trouble because of this. So Granny must teach him the lessons of nature if he is to survive. The practical lessons about theft, gratitude and kindness that Granny teaches Reddy, as in all Thornton Burgess books, promote these virtues to young children listening to this book.

Acclaimed poet Robert Frost provides this short poem that reminds us that when it comes to Christmas, maybe money shouldn't be our top priority. Some things may be worth more than a few extra dollars. A feel-good non-rhyming poem story that may help put some perspective in the pageantry.

Swept up in a whirlwind courtship, Katja and Wasyl begin life anew in a Ukrainian settlement of Western Canada. The dusty Canadian prairies promise hope and independence, but when war breaks out between the old world and the new, their newfound stability is shattered. Rumors of the internment of Ukrainian-Canadians haunt the new settlers. Would the country they love betray them like this? An incident throws the couple and their young children into turmoil, and Katja faces the prospect of enduring a Canadian winter without Wasyl by her side.

This is a beloved poem that feature young love brought low by an early death. Love stands even in death. Love grounds the author when others wish him to move on. This is a poem that shows passion for the one you love can be more than any temporary feeling.

Award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti recites Shakespeare's "Sonnet 17".

The themes of shared experience, the relationship of human beings to one another throughout time, and the ultimate power of place are explored in this poem by one of the most revered American poets, Walt Whitman. Its setting of NYC is dear to narrator Diane Havens, a native New Yorker, a Brooklynite.