Audiobooks by John Julius Norwich

Los Papas (The Popes): Una historia (A History)

Bien conocido por sus obras históricas, John Julius Norwich dirige ahora su atención hacia la más antigua institución del mundo (además ininterrumpida), rastreando el linaje papal a lo largo de los siglos, desde el mismísimo san Pedro -el primer Papa según la tradición- hasta Benedicto XVI. De los doscientos ochenta y tantos ocupantes del supremo cargo, algunos han sido santos sin lugar a dudas, mientras que otros se han sumido en la más terrible inmoralidad. De uno se dijo que era mujer y su sexo sólo se descubrió cuando, con la mayor imprevisión, dio a luz a un bebé durante una procesión papal. La papisa Juana nunca existió, pero hubo muchos Pontífices verdaderos casi tan extravagantes como ella: Formoso, por ejemplo cuyo cadáver fue exhumado, vestido con sus mejores galas papales, apuntalado en un trono y sometido a juicio; o Juan XII, del que el célebre Gibbon escribió que "sus violaciones disuadieron a las perefrinas de visitar el sepulcro de san Pedro". Otros se hicieron acreedores de respeto, como León el Magno, que protegió Roma de los hunos y de los godos, y Gregorio el Grande, que luchó valientemente contra el emperador. Tras las calamitosas Cruzadas, y el largo exilio del Papado en Aviñón, llegaron los desmedidos Pontífices del Renacimiento -los Borgia y los Medici ("Dios nos ha concedido el Papado, ahora nos toca disfrutarlo"). Pío VII tuvo que lidiar con Napoleón y a Pío IX le tocaron las tempestades del Risorgimiento italiano. El autor pone al día la historia con ágiles y amenas investigaciones sobre el antisemitismo de Pío XII, el posible asesinato de Juan Pablo I, y el fenómeno del polaco Juan Pablo II. El ritmo nunca afloja ni desfallece. John Julius Norwich, un agnóstico religiosamente imparcial, tiene una importante y trepidante historia que contar, a la que hace absoluta justicia en este libro apasionante e investido de autoridad.

John Julius Norwich (Author), Sergio Bustos De La Tijera (Narrator)

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Sicily: Land of Love and Strife

In Sicily: Land of Love and Strife, A Filmmaker's Journey, the process of capturing the island nation on film is revealed. A country rich with natural beauty and historic sites, and a people distinguished by their passion, struggles, philosophy, and the depth and diversity of their culture, has unfortunately been overshadowed by its association with organized crime. Spano invites the listener to follow him on his journey to celebrate the real Sicily, and to change the public perception of his familyÄôs homeland.

John Julius Norwich, Mark Spano (Author), Pete Cross (Narrator)

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A History of France

John Julius Norwich-called a "true master of narrative history" by Simon Sebag Montefiore-returns with the book he has spent his distinguished career wanting to write, A History of France: a portrait of the past two centuries of the country he loves best. Beginning with Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in the first century BC, this study of French history comprises a cast of legendary characters-Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Joan of Arc, and Marie Antionette, to name a few-as Norwich chronicles France's often violent, always fascinating history. From the French Revolution-after which neither France, nor the world, would be the same again-to the storming of the Bastille, from the Vichy regime and the Resistance to the end of the Second World War, A History of France is packed with heroes and villains, battles and rebellion, stories so enthralling that Norwich declared, "I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed writing a book more." With his celebrated stylistic panache and expert command of detail, Norwich writes in an inviting, intimate tone, and with a palpable affection for France. One of our greatest contemporary historians has deftly crafted a comprehensive yet concise portrait of the country's historical sweep.

John Julius Norwich (Author), John Julius Norwich (Narrator)

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Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent and the Obsessions that For

John Julius Norwich-who the Wall Street Journal called "the very model of a popular historian"-has crafted a big, bold tapestry of the early sixteenth century, when Europe and the Middle East were overshadowed by a quartet of legendary rulers, all born within a ten-year period: Francis I of France, the personification of the Renaissance, who became a highly influential patron of the arts and education Henry VIII, who was not expected to inherit the throne but embraced the role with gusto, broke with the Roman Catholic Church and appointed himself head of the Church of England Charles V, the most powerful and industrious man at the time, was unanimously elected Holy Roman Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent stood apart as a Muslim, and brought the Ottoman Empire to its apogee of political, military, and economic power Against the vibrant background of the Renaissance, these four men laid the foundations for modern Europe and the Middle East, as they collectively impacted the culture, religion, and politics of their respective domains.

John Julius Norwich (Author), Julian Elfer (Narrator)

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Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History

"Sicily," said Goethe, "is the key to everything." It is the largest island in the Mediterranean, the stepping-stone between Europe and Africa, the link between the Latin West and the Greek East. Sicily's strategic location has tempted Roman emperors, French princes, and Spanish kings. The subsequent struggles to conquer and keep it have played crucial roles in the rise and fall of the world's most powerful dynasties. Yet Sicily has often been little more than a footnote in books about other empires. Here is a vivid, erudite, chronicle of an island and the remarkable kings, queens, and tyrants who fought to rule it. From its beginnings as a Greek city-state to its emergence as a multicultural trading hub during the Crusades, from the rebellion against Italian unification to the rise of the Mafia, the story of Sicily is rich with extraordinary moments and dramatic characters. Writing with his customary deftness and humor, John Julius Norwich outlines the surprising influence Sicily has had on world history and tells the story of one of the world's most kaleidoscopic cultures in a galvanizing, contemporary way.

John Julius Norwich (Author), Michael Healy (Narrator)

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