Audiobooks by Honore de Balzac

Theatre Royal - The Purse & La Grande Breteche : Episode 4

Theatre Royal. The very name summons up something of grandeur and eloquence. And it was. Hosted by Laurence Olivier, these big-name productions also included the creme de la creme of acting talents from John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, and Orson Welles to Trevor Howard, Michael Redgrave and Olivier himself. They were based on works by the worlds' leading authors, among them Charles Dickens, Henry James, Oscar Wilde and Anton Chekhov. These are but a few of whose company we shall be keeping as we raise the curtain on our first instalment of theatrical history.

Honore de Balzac (Author), Laurence Olivier (Narrator)

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The unknown masterpiece, a short story by Balzac

The unknown masterpiece, or "Le chef-d'oeuvre inconnu", is a story by French author Honoré de Balzac. This short text was of tremendous importance in the world of art, for it holds a groundbreaking reflection about artistic creation: what does completion or failure mean, and how is it that technique does not guarantee either. Paul Cézanne famously said "I am Frenhofer", identifying with the old master around which the story revolves. Pablo Picasso himself was absolutely fascinated by the text, so much that he had his studio moved in the Parisian street named in the story; there, he painted his own masterpiece, Guernica. Our audiobooks are recorded by the best storytellers, for a lively and profound experience.

Honore de Balzac (Author), Katie Haigh (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Unknown masterpiece, a short story by Balzac

The unknown masterpiece, or "Le chef-d'oeuvre inconnu", is a story by French author Honore de Balzac. This short text was of tremendous importance in the world of art, for it holds a groundbreaking reflection about artistic creation: what does completion or failure mean, and how is it that technique does not guarantee either. Paul Cezanne famously said "I am Frenhofer", identifying with the old master around which the story revolves. Pablo Picasso himself was absolutely fascinated by the text, so much that he had his studio moved in the Parisian street named in the story; there, he painted his own masterpiece, Guernica. Our audiobooks are recorded by the best storytellers, for a lively and profound experience.

Honore de Balzac (Author), Katie Haigh (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Magic Skin [With eBook]

Honore de Balzac (Author), John Bolen (Narrator)

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The Black Sheep

Chris Dolan's dramatisation of Honore de Balzac's entertaining tale of family rivalry and fortunes lost and won, set in 19th-century France. Episode 1:After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, Philippe Bridau becomes a reckless gambler who steals from his mother to finance his obsession. She foolishly continues to idolise him, and it is left to his more dependable brother Joseph to rescue the family from destitution. Episode 2: Philippe's gambling has left his family destitute and his political activities have landed him in jail. His mother and brother seek financial help from a rich elderly relative, but a pretty young housekeeper and her lover have already laid plans to rob the old man of his money. Narrated by Geoffrey Whitehead with full cast. Directed by Bruce Young.

Chris Dolan, Honore De Balzac, Honore de Balzac (Author), Full Cast, Geoffrey Whitehead (Narrator)

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Short Stories About Suicide

Life has the capacity of great moments and attainment, of lives well lived, fulfilling for ourselves and for those we touch.But for others life is arduous. There is no spark to ignite the curiosity, to explore and achieve a stability and a growth to their lives. Indeed their lives, in their own eyes, become almost meaningless, their sense of themselves subsumed under a myriad of problems, whether real or imagined. Seismic events in a life might crush them; the loss of a loved one for instance. Coping is difficult, support hard to find and isolation abounds. We never really know the reason or motivation but sometimes one final, dreadful way out is the solution. In this volume our authors including, Amy Levy, Willa Cather, Honore de Balzac, O Henry, Franz Kafka and a wealth or others explore stories that help us to understand and recognise a tragic circumstance.1 - Short Stories About Suicide - An Introduction2 - Suicides by Guy de Maupassant3 - The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Fyodor Dostovesky4 - A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka5 - The Legacy by Virginia Woolf6 - The Informer by Joseph Conrad7 - Claude Gueux by Victor Hugo8 - The Furnished Room by O Henry9 - The Mourner by Mary Shelley10 - The Victory by Rabindranath Tagore11 - A Passion in the Desert by Honore De Balzac12 - An Imaginative Woman by Thomas Hardy13 - An Egyptian Cigarette by Kate Chopin14 - Volodya by Anton Chekhov15 - Paul's Case by Willa Cather16 - A Slav Soul by Alexander Kuprin17 - Cohen of Trinity by Amy Levy18 - The Story of A Conscience by Ambrose Bierce19 - The Cold Embrace by Mary Elizabeth Braddon20 - Blessed Are the Meek by Mary Webb21 - The Crystal Man by Edward Page Mitchell22 - The End of a Show by Barry Pain23 - An Outcast of the People by Bithia Mary Croker24 - A Responsibility by Henry Harland25 - When Spirits Steal by Philippa Forest26 - The Spider by Hanns Heinz Ewers27 - The Quadroons by Lydia Maria Child28 - Sokratics in the Strand by Amy Levy29 - In the Penal Colony by Franz Kafka

Ambrose Bierce, Amy Levy, Franz Kafka, Fyodor Dostovesky, Guy De Maupassant, Honore de Balzac, Joseph Conrad, Kate Chopin, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, O Henry, Rabindranath Tagore, Thomas Hardy, Victor Hugo, Virginia Woolf (Author), Laurel Lefkow, Mark Rice-Oxley, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Sarrasine, une nouvelle de Balzac

Deux récits enchâssés, au croisement du réalisme et du fantastique ; une nouvelle presque oubliée, que sa redécouverte classa parmi les plus grands textes de la littérature ; un jeu complexe d'imbrications entre sculpture, musique et littérature : Sarrasine est un des textes les plus séduisants de Balzac. Une jeune femme ne peut s'empêcher de remarquer le vieillard décharné, pareil à un spectre, qui hante un coin d'une brillante soirée parisienne. Elle s'en ouvre au narrateur, et le supplie de lever pour elle le mystère de cet inconnu ; s'ouvre alors un conte passionnel, où l'érotisme le dispute à la souffrance, les sentiments à la création artistique, et dont le mystère finit par se résoudre en macabre dans un chef d'oeuvre voluptueux, intégré sur le tard à sa Comédie humaine.

Honore de Balzac (Author), Anne-Sophie Robin (Narrator)

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Old Goriot

Balzac's universally loved novel explores the great theme of money and its effect on the human character. Old Goriot is a lodger at Madame Vauquer's Parisian boarding house. At first, his wealth inspires respect, but as his circumstances are reduced, he is gradually shunned. He moves into smaller and less desirable rooms in the house, and soon his only remaining visitors are two beautiful young women. The mystery as to who they are and what is happening to Goriot's fortune involves several other boarders, including Rastignac, an ambitious youth who hopes to rise in society. With its complicities and alliances, mysteries and betrayals, passions and ambitions, the house becomes a microcosm of the grasping Parisian society of the 1820s'a perfect setting for Balzac's masterful portrayal of La Com'die humaine, the whole comedic parade of human life. '[A] meticulously observed story of love and greed'Reminiscent of King Lear, it also resonates today with the clarity of the poet's barbed pen'Frederick Davidson is brilliant, deadening his voice for the dreadful daughters and their ghastly husbands, as well as portraying each ridiculous tenant in the boardinghouse'But it is Goriot's deathbed scene that causes the hairs to rise on the backs of listeners' neck. Listeners'cannot remain unmoved.''AudioFile

Honore de Balzac (Author), Frederick Davidson (Narrator)

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Le Pere Goriot

One of renowned French author Honoré de Balzac's finest works, Père Goriot provides a fascinating glimpse into Parisian life of the early 19th century. The rich character studies and themes of class, personal ambition, and materiality make this insightful novel as compelling today as when it was first published. At the shabby boarding house in the rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, petty Madame Vauquer and her tenants wonder at the plight of the aging resident Goriot. Once a well-heeled merchant, Goriot was-at first-afforded special treatment from the Madame. But now something is clearly amiss in his financial affairs, and his increasingly tawdry appearance makes him a subject of ridicule in the household. Some think he lost in the markets, others see him as a lecherous patron of prostitutes, but one thing is clear: his selflessness and complete devotion to his two daughters. As the tragedy of old Goriot is revealed, the shallow values of a society come into scrutiny.

Honore de Balzac (Author), Paul Hecht (Narrator)

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Le chef d'oeuvre inconnu

Le Chef-d'uvre inconnu est une nouvelle d'Honoré de Balzac de 1831. Ce texte, à la fois fantastique et philosophique, est une véritable réflexion sur l'art, l'artiste et la création. La poursuite d'un idéal de perfection dans la création artistique peut il conduire à la folie ? Cette histoire où l'on devine quelques figures mythiques, Orphée, Pygmalion, et Prométhée, peut le laisser penser.

Honore de Balzac (Author), Nicolas Planchais (Narrator)

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l'auberge rouge

Le banquier allemand Hermann, de passage à Paris, dîne en compagnie de la haute société. Il raconte à la fin du repas une étrange histoire qu'il a entendue lors de son emprisonnement à Andernach, au moment des guerres napoléoniennes. Il s'agit d'un crime commis en 1799. Deux chirurgiens militaires passent la nuit dans une auberge, partageant leur chambre avec un industriel qui a fui les hostilités et qui avoue, au cours du repas, avoir sur lui une somme considérable en or ainsi que des diamants. L'un des deux chirurgiens, Prosper Magnan, très impressionné par cette révélation, ne peut s'endormir et imagine ce que la mort de l'industriel aurait de facile et de fructueux pour lui. Quand, enfin, il finit par s'endormir, il est réveillé par un remue-ménage : l'industriel a bien été assassiné, qui plus est avec un instrument chirurgical... Prosper Magnan est innocent, mais arrêté, condamné et fusillé. Pendant que le banquier allemand Hermann développe son récit, le narrateur de l'Auberge rouge est en train de l'écouter. Or, il est assis en face d'un autre convive qu'il voit se décomposer progressivement au cours du récit d'Hermann : c'est le véritable assassin, qui se trouve à la même table que lui, à son insu... L'Auberge rouge est une nouvelle d'Honoré de Balzac parue en 1831.

Honore de Balzac (Author), Fabienne Prost (Narrator)

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Eugenie Grandet

Eugénie Grandet is Balzac's first great novel and one of the series Comédie Humaine. At the beginning of the story the heroine lives an unfulfilled life in rural France, her nature crushed by a domineering and miserly father.Gallant cousin Charles arrives and acts as a catalyst on Eugénie’s personality and emotions. Will her love survive the strong self opinion of the young man and the selfishness of her father or is Eugénie’s reward destined to be in heaven?

Honore de Balzac (Author), Peter Joyce (Narrator)

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