Audiobooks by Thornton Wilder

"This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. Unabridged and dramatized audiobook. Set in 18th-century Peru, this evocative narrative explores the intersection of fate, faith, and human connection after the catastrophic collapse of the Bridge of San Luis Rey. Brother Juniper, a Franciscan monk, witnesses the tragedy and spends years investigating the lives of the five victims to prove that their deaths were part of a divine plan. His journey reveals the intricate, often heartbreaking stories of the Marquesa de Montemayor, a young orphan girl Pepita, the inseparable twins Manuel and Esteban, the devoted mentor Uncle Pio and his protégé Camila, a famous actress and singer and her young son. As their hidden struggles with unrequited love, grief, and ambition are laid bare, the story transforms into a profound meditation on the legacy of the departed. Moving through the vibrant streets of colonial Lima the narrative culminates in a poignant realization: while the physical bridges of our lives may fall, love remains the only enduring link between the living and the dead. This classic masterpiece challenges the notion of randomness in a world searching for meaning. The author, Thornton Wilder won a Pulitzer Prize for this widely appreciated and influential book."

Thornton Wilder (Author), AI Voice Spoken (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

"'There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.' Published to worldwide acclaim in 1927, and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a profoundly moving and philosophical work that examines the meaning of life, death and fate. Set in eighteenth-century Peru, Wilder's masterpiece opens with the collapse of a rope bridge, sending five unsuspecting travellers to their deaths. In the aftermath, Brother Juniper, a Franciscan monk who was about to cross the bridge himself, sets out to understand why these particular individuals perished – was it chance, or part of a divine plan? As he pieces together the lives of the victims, their interwoven stories unfold in richly drawn portraits of passion, devotion, ambition and quiet tragedy. Elegantly crafted, The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a timeless exploration of human connection and spiritual inquiry – one that continues to resonate with readers nearly a century after its publication. Thornton Wilder (1897 – 1975) was an American novelist, playwright and lecturer. Over the course of his career Wilder won the Pulitzer Prize three times, became a visiting professor at Harvard University and served in the US Army Air Force to great success. Today, he is remembered for his plays, Our Town and The Skin of our Teeth."

Thornton Wilder (Author), Ian Porter (Narrator)

Audiobook

Thornton Wilder: Our Town, The Bridge of San Luis Rey & More: A BBC Radio full-cast drama collection

"Four of Thornton Wilder's most acclaimed works, adapted for BBC Radio - plus bonus material exploring his life and career Thornton Wilder is one of America's most important literary figures. He won the Pulitzer Prize three times - for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and the plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth - and is the only person to be awarded the Pulitzer for both fiction and drama. Included here are four of his key works, set in different times and places, but sharing the same fundamental motifs - the universality of human experience and our search for life's meaning. Our Town, his timeless tale of love, marriage, birth and death in a small American community, stars Ed Bishop, William Roberts and Liza Ross. It is preceded by a 10-minute introductory extract from Free Thinking, in which presenter Anne McElvoy and actor/director David Cromer discuss the play's themes and techniques. Wilder's masterpiece, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, tells the story of the five victims of a bridge collapse, and the eyewitness who sets out to understand why they were fated to die. A poignant philosophical fable, it features a stellar cast including Annette Badland, Robert Glenister, Tom Goodman-Hill and Helen McCrory. Adapted from the play by Jerome Kilty, The Ides of March is based on Wilder's epistolary novel centred around the last days of the Roman republic, and stars Robert Hardy as Julius Caesar. Next, Ed Bishop reads from Heaven's My Destination, the comic tale of an amateur philosopher who leaves a trail of chaos wherever he goes. Finally, in a fascinating episode of Front Row, Mark Lawson, theatre director David Lan and New York Times theatre critic Mel Gussow discuss how Wilder became a literary icon, and launched a quiet revolution in American theatre. Cast and credits Written by Thornton Wilder Copyright © by The Wilder Family LLC 1927 (The Bridge of San Luis Rey), 1935 (Heaven's My Destination), 1938 (Our Town), 1948 (The Ides of March) Free Thinking Presented by Anne McElvoy With David Cromer Produced by Zahid Warley First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 16 October 2014 Our Town Stage Manager - Ed Bishop Dr Gibbs - William Roberts Mrs Gibbs - Liza Ross George Gibbs - Ben Fairman Rebecca Gibbs - Teresa Gallagher Mr Webb - Garrick Hagon Mrs Webb/Dead Woman - Shelley Thompson Emily Webb - Barbara Barnes Joe Crowell/Si Crowell - Tom Bevan With Vincent Marzello, Peter Whitman, John Evitts and Frances Jeater Directed by David Hitchinson First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 July 1995 The Bridge of San Luis Rey Madre Maria del Pilar - Annette Badland Uncle Pio - Michael Feast Jaime/Boy - Frederick Forge Brother Juniper/Captain Alvarado - Robert Glenister Esteban/Manuel - Tom Goodman-Hill Pepita/Dona Clara - Jasmine Hyde Camila, la Perichole - Helen McCrory Marquesa de Montemayor - Sian Phillips Dramatised by Judith Adams Directed by Gaynor MacFarlane First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 May 2002 The Ides of March Narrator - Patrick Tull Caesar - Robert Hardy Brutus - Sean Barrett Clodia - Margaret Robertson Cleopatra - Elizabeth Proud Pompeia, Caesar's wife - Patricia Gallimore Julia, Caesar's aunt - Betty Hardy Clodius - Nigel Lambert Catullus - David Spenser Adapted for radio by Nesta Pain from the play by Jerome Kilty Produced by Nesta Pain First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 17 August 1970 Heaven's My Destination Read by Ed Bishop First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 17 April 1997 Front Row Presented by Mark Lawson With David Lan and Mel Gussow Produced by Nicki Paxman First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 March 2004 Copyright © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd."

Thornton Wilder (Author), Annette Badland, Barbara Barnes, Elizabeth Proud, Full Cast, Helen Mccrory, Robert Glenister, Robert Hardy, Sean Barrett, Tom Goodman-Hill (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

"A spare and haunting novel that won the Pulitzer Prize and has informed how literature addressed tragedy ever since its initial publication in 1927 In eighteenth-century Peru, a rope bridge collapses, dropping five people to tragic deaths in the gorge below. In the aftermath, Brother Juniper, a Franciscan friar and a witness to the disaster, strives to comprehend why these five people were fated to die in this way. Was it, he wonders, some form of divine Providence, or was it arbitrary and unrelated to the manner in which these people had led their lives? In its exploration of love and loss, cosmic justice and injustice, and fate versus chance, The Bridge of San Luis Rey probes at questions that remain—that will always remain—fundamental to human existence."

Thornton Wilder (Author), Timothy Andrés Pabon (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

"Five people are killed when a heavily-traveled rope bridge in Peru collapses. Brother Juniper, a Franciscan friar, witnesses this event and this sets him on a quest: Who were each of these individuals? Why do unfortunate events happen to innocent or undeserving people? What led to these people being on the bridge at the fateful moment? While many view this novel as a serious reflection on life, death, and love, this narration highlights Wilder’s tongue-in-cheek stance, suggesting the author used humor, irony, and even sarcasm to examine faith, fate, and chance. Throughout the story, Wilder unleashes gentle sarcasm on the Catholic Church, the Peruvian administration, and Spanish American culture in general. In 1998 The Bridge of San Luis Rey was selected by the editorial board of the American Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of the twentieth century."

Thornton Wilder (Author), Gary Macfadden (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Die Frau von der Insel Andros

"Die auf Andros fremde Hetäre Chrysis liebt Pamphylos, der ihre geistreichen Gastmähler schätzt, aber eine angesehene Griechin heiraten soll. Als Chrysis' Schwester Glykerium von ihm ein Kind erwartet, nimmt das Schicksal für die beiden Frauen eine dramatische Wendung. Thornton Wilders (1897-1975) 1930 erschienene Roman 'Die Frau von Andros' veranschaulicht mittels eines antiken Stoffes zentrale Aussagen des Neuen Testaments. Hörspielbearbeitung Hellmut von Cube."

Thornton Wilder (Author), Ernie Wilhelmi, Ilse Bally, Peter Lühr (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks by Thornton Wilder

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