When The Unbearable Lightness of Being was first published in English, it was hailed as ""a work of the boldest mastery, originality, and richness"" by critic Elizabeth Hardwick and named one of the best books of 1984 by the New York Times Book Review. It went on to win the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction and quickly became an international bestseller. Twenty years later, the novel has established itself as a modern classic. To commemorate the anniversary of its first English-language publication, HarperCollins is proud to offer a special hardcover edition. A young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing; one of his mistresses and her humbly faithful lover -- these are the two couples whose story is told in this masterful novel. Controlled by day, Tereza's jealousy awakens by night, transformed into ineffably sad death-dreams, while Tomas, a successful surgeon, alternates loving devotion to the dependent Tereza with the ardent pursuit of other women. Sabina, an independent, free-spirited artist, lives her life as a series of betrayals -- of parents, husband, country, love itself -- whereas her lover, the intellectual Franz, loses all because of his earnest goodness and fidelity. In a world in which lives are shaped by irrevocable choices and by fortuitous events, a world in which everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance, its weight. Hence we feel, says the novelist, ""the unbearable lightness of being"" -- not only as the consequence of our private acts but also in the public sphere, and the two inevitably intertwine. This magnificent novel encompasses the extremes of comedy and tragedy, and embraces, it seems, all aspects of human existence. It juxtaposes geographically distant places (Prague, Geneva, Paris, Thailand, the United States, a forlorn Bohemian village); brilliant and playful reflections (on ""eternal return,"" on kitsch, on man and animals -- Tomas and Tereza have a beloved doe named Karenin); and a variety of styles (from the farcical to the elegiac) to take its place as perhaps the major achievement of one of the world's truly great writers.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

A heart-wrenching full-cast adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by John Steinbeck, starring Jeffrey Donovan and Shirley Knight. Set during the Great Depression, The Grapes of Wrath tells the powerful story of the Joad family's trek from the dust bowl of Oklahoma to the promise of a new life in California. But what they find threatens to rip apart their lives, and sever the ties that bind them together. Starring Shirley Knight as Ma Joad, Frank Galati's play finds its timeless heart in the generous spirit of the common man. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring: Shirley Knight as Ma Joad Jeffrey Donovan as Tom Joad Emily Bergl as Rose of Sharon Michael Buie as Connie and others Daniel Chacon as Al Joad Maurice Chasse as Deputy Sheriff and others Shannon Cochran as Mrs. Wainwright and Elizabeth Sandry Trista Delamere as 2nd Narrator and Al's Girl Francis Guinan as Jim Casy Charlie Matthes as Willy and others Gas Station Attendant and Hooper Ranch Guard Rod McLachlan as Uncle John Robert Pescovitz as Pa Joad Joel Rafael as Car Salesman and Man with Guitar Stephen Ramsey as 1st Narrator and others Nick Sadler as Agricultural Officer and others Andy Taylor as Gas Station Owner and others Floyd Knowles and Weedpatch Camp Director Todd Waring as Hooper Ranch Bookkeeper and others Fredd Wayne as Grampa, Mayor of Hooverville and Camp Guard Michael Weston as Noah Joad and others Kate Williamson as Gramma and others Live music performed by the Joel Rafael Band. Adapted by Frank Galati. Directed by Richard Masur. Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles.

The Grapes of Wrath

'I wonder what I have to do for people to recognise me as a threat. Do I have to smash a glass over the head of every single man I come into contact with, just so I leave a mark?' Irina takes erotic photos of average-looking men. Always behind the lens, she watches, she moulds, and she stalks. These boys are putty in her hands, just the way she likes it. When the opportunity to show her photographs in a fashionable London gallery coincides with a new boy to obsess over, cracks begin to appear. How far can she push her new prey for the perfect shot, or has she already gone too far? Based on the critically acclaimed debut novel by Eliza Clark, which was a finalist for the Women's Prize Futures Award, Boy Parts is a pitch-black psychological thriller that subverts the erotic gaze and asks what happens when our need for connection gets twisted. This stage adaptation for one actor by Gillian Greer was premiered in 2023 at Soho Theatre, London, in a co-production between Metal Rabbit Productions and Soho Theatre, and directed by Sara Joyce. Praise for Eliza Clark's novel: 'Hilariously sardonic… Will make most readers howl with laughter and/or shut their eyes in horror'Guardian 'A carnival funhouse ride: terrifying, feverish, hilarious' Julia Armfield 'Boundaries are for breaking and if anyone can crash through and reinterpret the fear of our time, Eliza Clark can'Mslexia 'Hallucinogenic, electric and sharp' Jessica Andrews 'Delightfully and deviously rooted in the now with its delectable internet and culture references and evocative and real-feeling portrait of women'Dazed 'Smart, stylish, and very funny' Lara Williams 'Explores the darkest corners of artistic practice, sexuality and violence with bold wit and fearlessness. A dazzling, horrifying debut'Irish Times

NHB Modern Plays

Boy Parts

'Every winner might be the one who loses the next day.' Tessa is a young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from working-class origins to the top of her game: defending, cross-examining and winning. But an unexpected event forces her to confront the patriarchal power of the law, where the burden of proof and morality diverge. Prima Facie by Suzie Miller is an award-winning play for a solo actor, taking us deep into a world where emotion and integrity are in conflict with the rules of the game. After several acclaimed productions in Australia and winning the Australian Writers' Guild Award for Drama, the play received its European premiere at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End in April 2022. It was produced by Empire Street Productions, directed by Justin Martin, and starred Jodie Comer, the Emmy and Bafta Award-winning star of TV's Killing Eve, making her West End debut. It won Best New Play at both the Olivier Awards and the WhatsOnStage Awards in 2023.

Prima Facie

Charles Bukowski examines cats and his childhood in You Get So Alone at Times, a book of poetry that reveals his tender side. The iconic tortured artist/everyman delves into his youth to analyze its repercussions. “The Walt Whitman of Los Angeles.”—Joyce Carol Oates “He brought everybody down to earth, even the angels.”—Leonard Cohen, songwriter

You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. ‘By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes.’ Shakespeare’s darkest psychological thriller. Three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death. All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations. Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production. The full cast includes: Toby Robertson; Roger Prior; Tony Church; John Barton; Gerald Mosbach; Gary Watson; Derek Jacobi; David Jones; Chris Renard; Terrence Hardiman; Donald Beves; Richard Marquand; John Tracy-Phillips; Michael Bates; Terrence Hardiman; George Rylands; John Arnott; Clive Swift; John Bird; John Kimber; Irene Worth; Freda Dowie; Mrs Shire; Willa Muir; Freda Dowie; Janette Richer.

Argo Classics

Macbeth

In this “compelling, bighearted, emotionally precise page-turner” (Sunday Times), the New York Times bestselling writer and acclaimed television host explores the aftermath of a tragedy on a small-town to illuminate the shame and longing that can flow through generations—and how the secrets of the heart cannot stay be buried forever. It is 1987 and a small Irish community is preparing for a wedding. The day before the ceremony, a group of young friends, including the bride and groom, are involved in an accident. Three survive. Three are killed. The lives of the families are shattered and the rifts between them ripple throughout the small town. Connor survived, but living among the angry and the mourning is almost as hard as carrying the shame of having been the driver. He leaves the only place he knows for another life, taking his secrets with him. Travelling first to Liverpool, then London, he eventually makes a home—of sorts—for himself in New York, where he finds shelter and the possibility of forging a new life. But the secrets—the unspoken longings and regrets that have come to haunt those left behind—will not be silenced. Before long, Connor will have to confront his past. A powerful and timely novel of emigration and return, Home Stretch demonstrates Norton’s keen understanding of the power of stigma and secrecy—and their devastating effect on ordinary lives.

Home Stretch

A two-play dramatisation of Philip Pullman's extraordinary award-winning fantasy trilogy, first seen at the National Theatre. His Dark Materials takes us on a thrilling journey through worlds familiar and unknown. For Lyra and Will, its two central characters, it's a coming of age and a transforming spiritual experience. Their great quest demands a savage struggle against the most dangerous of enemies. They encounter fantastical creatures in parallel worlds – rebellious angels, soul-eating spectres, child-catching Gobblers and the armoured bears and witch-clans of the Arctic. Finally, before reaching, perhaps, the republic of heaven, they must visit the land of the dead. This adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, by Nicholas Wright, was first performed at the National Theatre in London in 2003.

His Dark Materials

Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything—youth and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. But something is missing in her life. So, one cold November morning, she takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up. But she does—at a mental hospital where she is told that she has only days to live. Inspired by events in Coelho’s own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal. Bold and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity.

Veronika Decides to Die

An epic new fantasy romance from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author C. L. Wilson After three long years of war, starkly handsome Wynter Atrialan will have his vengeance on Summerlea's king by taking one of the man's beautiful, beloved daughters as his bride. But though peace is finally at hand, Wynter's battle with the Ice Heart, the dread power he embraced to avenge his brother's death, rages on. Khamsin Coruscate, Princess of Summerlea and summoner of Storms, has spent her life exiled to the shadows of her father's palace. Reviled by her father, marriage to Wintercraig's icy king was supposed to be a terrible punishment, but instead offers Kham her first taste of freedom—and her first taste of overwhelming passion. As fierce, indomitable Wynter weathers even Khamsin's wildest storms, surprising her with a tenderness she never expected, Kham wants more than Wynter's passion—she yearns for his love. But the power of the Ice Heart is growing, dangerous forces are gathering, and a devastating betrayal puts Khamsin and Wynter to the ultimate test.

Weathermages of Mystral

The Winter King

'I sit on the loo and think about all the people I can have sex with now. I'm not obsessed with sex. I just can't stop thinking about it.' The Fleabag bites back. A rip-roaring account of some sort of female living her sort of life. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's debut play is an outrageously funny monologue for a female performer. Fleabag premiered at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, performed by Phoebe herself, before transferring to Soho Theatre, London, for the first of several successful runs, followed by UK and international tours, a sold-out run in New York and a West End run in 2019. Fleabag won a Fringe First Award in Edinburgh, the Most Promising New Playwright and Best Female Performance at the Off West End Theatre Awards, The Stage Award for Best Solo Performer and the Critics' Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright. It received a Special Commendation in the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and was nominated for the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre. In 2016, Fleabag was turned into a wildly successful and 'utterly riveting' ( Guardian) BBC television series, with a second series following in 2019. This edition features the original play, plus an introduction by the author.

Fleabag: The Original Play

Somewhere in shadowy post-war Vienna, where everyone has something to sell on the black market, lurks the third man who witnessed the murder of Harry Lime. Novelist Holly Martins is haunted by the death of his friend. His search for the killer makes electrifying drama, in this witty and sophisticated audio adaptation of the Graham Greene classic. An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring: Ian Abercrombie as Captain Crabbin/Officer Rosalind Ayres as Anna Schmidt Ethan Glazer as Hansl Kelsey Grammer as Holly Martins John Mahoney as Major Calloway Wolf Muser as Baron von Kurtz/Priest/Official Barry Phillips as Sergeant Paine Andreas Renell as Porter/Driver Bettina Spier as Landlady Slav Troyan as Captain Brodsky/MP John Vickery as Harry Lime Tom Virtue as Mr. Tyler/Brigadier Norbert Weisser as Dr. Winkel/Sacher Concierge/Hansl's Father Original music by Raymond Guarna. Directed by Robert Robinson. Recorded before a live audience at the Guest Quarters Suite Hotel, Santa Monica in November of 1994.

The Third Man

A full-cast stage adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel. The dour Mr. Darcy is anything but popular with the Bennets, especially when he fancies a member of their clan. And as Elizabeth reluctantly deals with Mr. Darcy's advances, their romance seems destined to fail. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice set the standard for romantic comedies when it debuted in 1813, and it still speaks to audiences worldwide through countless adaptations. Includes a roundtable interview with the entire cast. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring: Julia McIlvane as Elizabeth Bennet; Nick Toren as Mr. Darcy; Jane Carr as Mrs. Bennet and Lady Catherine; with Diane Adair, Nicholas Hormann, Chloe Dworkin, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, Jill Renner, and Darren Richardson. Adapted for the stage by Christina Calvit. Directed by Brian Kite. Recorded by L.A. Theatre Works before a live audience.

Pride and Prejudice

An adaptation for the stage of Jacqueline Wilson's popular novel. Ten-year-old Andy used to live happily at Mulberry Cottage with her family: Mum, Dad, and Radish the rabbit, who lives in Andy's pocket and shares all her secrets. But then it all went wrong: Mum went to live with Bill, and Dad went off with Carrie. And Andy is expected to shuttle between the two - living out of a suitcase - and come to terms with her strange new families. Vicky Ireland's stage adaptation of The Suitcase Kid was first staged at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in 2007. Seen all over the country, this resourceful dramatisation is suitable for young actors as well as young audiences. Vicky Ireland has provided production notes to indicate how the play can be staged even with minimal resources - plus a lot of ingenuity!

The Suitcase Kid

The most renowned and wittiest of Oscar Wilde's comedies, The Importance of Being Earnest ridicules Victorian sensibilities and is still strikingly relevant to this day. This full-cast audio adaptation featuring Tim Brooke-Taylor as Lady Bracknell is unique yet at the same time reassuringly familiar, with wonderful performances from the Offstage Theatre Group. The play itself is the story of two single gentlemen who have taken to bending the truth in order to put some excitement into their lives. John 'Jack' Worthing has invented a brother, Earnest, whom he uses as an excuse to leave his dull life behind to visit Gwendolyn Fairfax. When learning of this subterfuge, Algernon 'Algy' Montcrieff decides to take the name Earnest when visiting Jack Worthing's young and beautiful ward, Cecily Cardew. The pair struggle to keep up with their own stories and their adventures in romance begin to go awry when they end up together in the country. This leads to a tale of deception and disguise that becomes more and more tangled as the play goes on.

The Importance of Being Earnest

This short biography of William Shakespeare by world famous writer Bill Bryson brims with the author’s inimitable wit and intelligence. Includes an exclusive Q&A session with the author. Shakespeare’s life, despite the scrutiny of generations of biographers and scholars, is still a thicket of myths and traditions, some preposterous, some conflicting, arranged around the few scant facts known about the Bard – from his birth in Stratford to the bequest of his second best bed to his wife when he died. Following his international bestsellers ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ and ‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid’, Bill Bryson has written a short biography of William Shakespeare for the Eminent Lives series – which seeks to pair great subjects with writers known for their strong sensibilities and sharp, lively points of view.

Shakespeare

154 poems performed by by the wonderful Sir John Gielgud in this Shakepseare collection of Sonnets. Shakespeare's sonnets are 154 poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare that deal with such themes as the passage of time, love, beauty and mortality. All but two of the poems were first published in a 1609 quarto entitled SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS.: Never before imprinted. Sonnets 138 and 144 had previously been published in a 1599 miscellany entitled The Passionate Pilgrim. The quarto ends with "A Lover's Complaint", a narrative poem of 47 seven-line stanzas written in rhyme royal. The first 17 sonnets, traditionally called the procreation sonnets, are ostensibly written to a young man urging him to marry and have children in order to immortalise his beauty by passing it to the next generation.[1] Other sonnets express the speaker's love for a young man; brood upon loneliness, death, and the transience of life; seem to criticise the young man for preferring a rival poet; express ambiguous feelings for the speaker's mistress; and pun on the poet's name. The final two sonnets are allegorical treatments of Greek epigrams referring to the "little Love-god" Cupid.

Sonnets

An electrifying, bittersweet love story with echoes of Romeo and Juliet, set in a society divided by racial bigotry and a world rocked by terrorism. Adapted from Malorie Blackman's best-selling novels. Sephy (a Cross) is the daughter of the Deputy Prime Minister. Callum is the son of a Nought agitator. United by a shared sense of injustice as children, and separated by intolerance as they grow up, their desire to be together begins to eclipse all family loyalty – sparking a political crisis of unimaginable proportions. 'I wanted to turn society as we know it on its head, with new names for the major divisions, i.e. Noughts (the underclass) and Crosses (the majority, ruling society)' - Malorie Blackman Dominic Cooke's adaptation of Noughts & Crosses was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2007.

Noughts & Crosses

Caedmon is proud to release this archival full-cast recording of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire on cd for the first time! Blanche DuBois arrives at her sister Stella's New Orleans apartment seeking refuge from a troubled past—but her ethereal spirit irks Stella's husband, the loutish Stanley Kowalski. Crudely, relentlessly, he unmasks the lies and delusions that sustain Blanche, until her frail hold on reality is shockingly severed. This atmospheric recording of Tennessee Williams's powerful classic stars Rosemary Harris and James Farentino as Blanche and Stanley—roles they performed to acclaim in a smash revival at New York's Lincoln Center.

A Streetcar Named Desire

In the best known of P.G. Wodehouse's Bertie and Jeeves series, Bertie's aunt pressures him to steal a silver creamer, and he nearly gets lynched, arrested and engaged by mistake. As always, Jeeves is on hand with a last-minute brainstorm to set everything straight. Adapted by Mark Richard. A City Lit Theatre Company co-production. An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring: Rosalind Ayres as Aunt Dahlia Patrice Egleston as Madeline Bassett Martin Jarvis as Jeeves/Roderick Spode Kelly Nespor as Stephanie 'Stiffy' Byng Kenneth J. Northcott as Sir Watkyn Bassett Henry M. Odum as Shopkeeper/Butterfield/Constable Eustace Oates Mark Richard as Bertie Wooster Nicolas Sandys as Harold 'Stinker' Pinker Thomas M. Shea as Gussie Fink-Nottle Directed by Mark Richard. Recorded before a live audience at the DoubleTree Guest Suites, Chicago in May of 1997.

The Code of the Woosters

Bruno has a friend called Shmuel. Like Bruno, Shmuel is nine years old. Their birthdays are on the same day. But Shmuel lives on the other side of a fence, and he's always wearing striped pyjamas... Based on the best-selling novel by John Boyne, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a heart-wrenching tale of an unlikely friendship between two innocent boys. Angus Jackson's deeply affecting adaptation was produced by The Children's Touring Partnership and Chichester Festival Theatre on a UK tour in 2015.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

A full-cast dramatisation of three of the most notorious crimes and trials of the last 100 years, using the original trial transcripts. “Mr Punch is going from strength to strength, continuing their good run of classy audio” Talking Business The Trial of Ruth Ellis At 9 am on 13th July 1955, Ruth Ellis became the last woman to hang in Britain. Convicted of shooting her unfaithful lover in cold blood as he stood by his sports car, the calm and dignified court appearance of this mother of two and the furore that accompanied her sentence, ensured that this trial was to have a memorable place in the annals of British justice. Starring JEMMA REDGRAVE as Ruth Ellis with full supporting cast. The Trial of Dr Crippen Mild-mannered Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen committed one of the most notorious English murders of the 20th Century. In early 1910 he dismembered his wife's body and buried the remains in the coal cellar. His trial was expected to be a formality, but Crippen pleaded 'Not Guilty!', and so begins this strangely moving tale of passion and despair. Starring ANDREW SACHS as Dr Crippen with full supporting cast. 10 Rillington Place: The Trials of Timothy Evans & John Reginald Halliday Christie In March 1950, Timothy Evans, aged 25, was hanged for the murder of his wife. 16 years later the Queen was to grant him a full pardon. So why did Evans confess to murder? Why was Christie not arrested until three years later? The shocking truth was to horrify the nation. Starring RONALD PICKUP as John Reginald Halliday Christie with full supporting cast.

Great British Trials

Great British Trials Collection: True Crime Drama

‘It's comfort reading at its most soothing’ Independent ‘Funny, heartfelt and very readable’ Good Housekeeping In this reimagined modern classic, prepare to meet a young woman who thinks she knows everything… Fresh from university, Emma Woodhouse triumphantly arrives home in Norfolk ready to embark on adult life with a splash. Not only has her sister, Isabella, been whisked away on a motorcycle up to London, but her astute governess, Miss Taylor is at a loose end, abandoned in the giant family pile, Hartfield, alongside Emma’s anxiety-ridden father. Someone is needed to rule the roost and young Emma is more than happy to oblige. And there is plenty to delight her in the buzzing little village of Highbury. At the helm of her own dinner parties and instructing her new little protégée, Harriet Smith, Emma reigns forth. But there is only one person who can play with Emma’s indestructible confidence, her old friend and inscrutable neighbour George Knightley – this time has Emma finally met her match?

Emma

Performed by Sir Michael Redgrave and others, The Tempest possesses a truly wonderful narrative carried by a wonderful cast. Available to download for the first time online. The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place using illusion and skillful manipulation. He conjures up a storm, the eponymous tempest, to lure his usurping brother Antonio and the complicit King Alonso of Naples to the island. There, his machinations bring about the revelation of Antonio's low nature, the redemption of the King, and the marriage of Miranda to Alonso's son, Ferdinand.

The Tempest

""A novel full of miracles.” — Newsweek “Breathtaking. . . unforgettable. . . . This profound, funny, bighearted novel, in which people actually find love and kinship in surprising places, is also heavenly. . . . A rare feat and a triumph.” — Cosmopolitan In Pigs in Heaven, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Kingsolver, recipient of the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguish Contribution to American Letters, picks up where her modern classic The Bean Trees left off and continues the tale of Turtle and Taylor Greer, a Native American girl and her adoptive mother who have settled in Tucson, Arizona, as they both try to overcome their difficult pasts. When six-year-old Turtle Greer witnesses a freak accident at the Hoover Dam, her insistence on what she has seen and her mother's belief in her lead to a man's dramatic rescue. But Turtle's moment of celebrity draws her into a conflict of historic proportions. The crisis quickly envelops not only Turtle and her mother, Taylor, but everyone else who touches their lives in a complex web connecting their future with their past. Pigs in Heaven travels the roads from rural Kentucky and the urban Southwest to Heaven, Oklahoma, and the Cherokee Nation as it draws the reader into a world of heartbreak and redeeming love, testing the boundaries of family and the many separate truths about the ties that bind.

Pigs in Heaven

Now a Netflix original series starring Simon Baker, Travis Fimmel, and Phoebe Tonkin! “Hypnotizes you with wonder, and then hammers you with heartbreak. . . . Eli’s remarkably poetic voice and his astonishingly open heart take the day. They enable him to carve out the best of what’s possible from the worst of what is, which is the miracle that makes this novel marvelous.” —Washington Post ""The best book I read this decade."" —Sharon Van Etten in Rolling Stone A story of brotherhood, true love, family, and the most unlikely of friendships, Boy Swallows Universe is the tale of an adolescent boy on the cusp of discovering the man he will be. Eli Bell’s life is complicated. His father is lost, his mother is in jail, and his stepdad is a heroin dealer. The most steadfast adult in Eli’s life is Slim—a notorious felon and national record-holder for successful prison escapes—who watches over Eli and August, his silent genius of an older brother. Exiled far from the rest of the world in Darra, a neglected suburb populated by Polish and Vietnamese refugees, this twelve-year-old boy with an old soul and an adult mind is just trying to follow his heart, learn what it takes to be a good man, and train for a glamorous career in journalism. Life, however, insists on throwing obstacles in Eli’s path—most notably Tytus Broz, Brisbane’s legendary drug dealer. But the real trouble lies ahead. Eli is about to fall in love, face off against truly bad guys, and fight to save his mother from a certain doom—all before starting high school. Powerful and kinetic, Trent Dalton’s debut is sure to be one of the most heartbreaking, joyous and exhilarating novels you will experience.

Boy Swallows Universe

Picking up where her modern classic The Bean Trees left off, Barbara Kingsolver’s bestselling Pigs in Heaven continues the tale of Turtle and Taylor Greer, a Native American girl and her adoptive mother who have settled in Tucson, Arizona, as they both try to overcome their difficult pasts. Taking place three years after The Bean Trees, Taylor is now dating a musician named Jax and has officially adopted Turtle. But when a lawyer for the Cherokee Nation begins to investigate the adoption—their new life together begins to crumble. Depicting the clash between fierce family love and tribal law, poverty and means, abandonment and belonging, Pigs in Heaven is a morally wrenching, gently humorous work of fiction that speaks equally to the head and the heart.

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. ‘This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.’ The searing tragedy of young student Hamlet, tormented by his father’s death and confronting each of us with the mirror of our own mortality in an imperfect world. The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel, during which the King, Queen, Hamlet's opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed. All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations. Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production. The full cast includes: Patrick Wymark; Anthony White; Miles Malleson; Ian Lang; Peter Orr; David Rowe-Beddoe; Philip Strick; John Tracy-Phillips; Giles Slaughter; George Rylands; Trevor Nunn; Michael Burrell; Julian Curry; David Coombes; Tom Bussman; Hugh Walters; Gary Watson; Ronald Allen; Roger Hammond; Margaretta Scot; Jeannette Sterke; William Devlin.

Hamlet

A woman on the run meets a grumpy ex-havy recluse hated by everyone in town in this steamy small-town romance. “My heart demands I be near this broken man. Maybe we can be broken together.” Alex: The only thing I’ve ever wanted was to be left alone in my secluded cabin, deep in the woods. I wear my scars as a badge of dishonor to ensure that people will stay away from me. And severe PTSD after years in the Navy just about seals the deal. And this is how I like it: alone and quiet… Until a beautiful trouble gets dumped on my doorstep. Freya: The only thing I want is to fix my car and get the hell away from Little Hope, where I got stuck thanks to a popped tire and ‘helpful’ locals. Unfortunately, fate - apparently - has other plans for me. That’s how I find myself at Alex’s doorstep. A local ex-navy recluse, Alex is rude, obnoxious, and scorching as hell with his grumpiness and f-off attitude. I just want to run from this little town and from this growly man people constantly warn me about. But why does he suddenly feel like home? They say All Roads Lead to Maine. But do they end there? This slow-burn, strangers-to-enemies-to-lovers, contemporary romance is a standalone filled with angst, battling the demons of the past, and finding peace. Each book contains a story about a different couple. No cheating. No cliffhangers. HEA.

Little Hope series

Haunted Hearts

In the spirit of Khaled Hosseini, Nadia Hashimi and Shilpi Somaya Gowda comes this powerful debut from a talented new voice—a sweeping, emotional journey of two childhood friends in Mumbai, India, whose lives converge only to change forever one fateful night. India, 1986: Mukta, a ten-year-old village girl from the lower caste Yellama cult has come of age and must fulfill her destiny of becoming a temple prostitute, as her mother and grandmother did before her. In an attempt to escape her fate, Mukta is sent to be a house girl for an upper-middle class family in Mumbai. There she discovers a friend in the daughter of the family, high spirited eight-year-old Tara, who helps her recover from the wounds of her past. Tara introduces Mukta to an entirely different world—one of ice cream, reading, and a friendship that soon becomes a sisterhood. But one night in 1993, Mukta is kidnapped from Tara’s family home and disappears. Shortly thereafter, Tara and her father move to America. A new life in Los Angeles awaits them but Tara never recovers from the loss of her best friend, or stops wondering if she was somehow responsible for Mukta's abduction. Eleven years later, Tara, now an adult, returns to India determined to find Mukta. As her search takes her into the brutal underground world of human trafficking, Tara begins to uncover long-buried secrets in her own family that might explain what happened to Mukta—and why she came to live with Tara’s family in the first place. Moving from a traditional Indian village to the bustling modern metropolis of Mumbai, to Los Angeles and back again, this is a heartbreaking and beautiful portrait of an unlikely friendship—a story of love, betrayal, and, ultimately, redemption.

The Color of Our Sky

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. Inspired by a youthful romance Fitzgerald had with socialite Ginevra King, and the riotous parties he attended on Long Island's North Shore in 1922. During World War II, the novel experienced an abrupt surge in popularity when the Council on Books in Wartime distributed free copies to American soldiers serving overseas. This new-found popularity launched a critical and scholarly re-examination, and the work soon became a core part of most American high school curricula and a part of American popular culture. Numerous stage and film adaptations followed in the subsequent decades. Gatsby continues to attract popular and scholarly attention. Contemporary scholars emphasize the novel's treatment of social class, inherited versus self-made wealth, race, and environmentalism, and its cynical attitude towards the American dream. The Great Gatsby is widely considered to be a literary masterwork and a contender for the title of the Great American Novel. Narrated by Michael Ward.

The Great Gatsby

A young woman finds herself washed up back home on the Scottish archipelago of Orkney, trying to rebuild her life after a decade of addiction. The life she has left behind in London, with all its intoxicating temptations, has pushed her to the point of destruction. Now there is wildness of a different form – an alluring wilderness that she must learn to navigate. Speaking to the impact of isolation and loneliness and – ultimately – the resilience of people, Amy Liptrot's bestselling memoir The Outrun has been adapted for the stage by Stef Smith. Directed by Vicky Featherstone, and co-produced by The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and Edinburgh International Festival, it premiered at the 2024 Festival. Amy Liptrot's The Outrun was a Sunday Times bestseller, BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, won the Wainwright Prize and the PEN Ackerley Prize, and was shortlisted for the Wellcome and Ondaatje Prizes. 'One of Scotland's boldest chroniclers of contemporary women's lives' The Stage on Stef Smith 'A lyrical, brave memoir… compelling' Guardian on The Outrun

The Outrun

Two young people and their dæmons, with everything at stake, find themselves at the centre of a terrifying manhunt. In their care is a tiny child called Lyra Belacqua, and in that child lies the fate of the future. As the waters rise around them, powerful adversaries conspire for mastery of Dust: salvation to some, the source of infinite corruption to others. Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage is set twelve years before the epic His Dark Materials trilogy. Bryony Lavery's stage adaptation was first performed at the Bridge Theatre, London, in December 2021, directed by Nicholas Hytner, whose groundbreaking production of His Dark Materials was a critical and commercial success at the National Theatre. 'Once in a lifetime a children's author emerges who is so extraordinary that the imagination of generations is altered' New Statesman on Philip Pullman

The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage (NHB Modern Plays)

Experience the world of Nora Helmer in 'A Doll's House' by Henrik Ibsen, masterfully brought to life in this unabridged version by the talented Robin LaRee Berry. Immerse yourself in the gripping tale of love, duty, and the pursuit of independence that resonates as much today as it did over a century ago. Our high-quality production process ensures a crisp and clear voice, providing you with an enjoyable listening experience. Each sentence, each word, is carefully edited for clarity and precision. Robin's masterful narration breathes new life into Ibsen's iconic characters, taking you on a journey into the depth of their hopes, their fears, and their dreams. It is a testament to her artistry that Robin captures the essence of each character, delivering performances that are as engaging as they are emotionally impactful. No matter where you are - at home, on the commute, or taking a break - 'A Doll's House' is an audiobook that will engage your senses and touch your soul. Don't miss this opportunity to witness a timeless classic in a new light.

A Doll's House

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. ‘Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.’ Arguably the greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet continues to touch modern audiences with its passionate depiction of the tragic romance between two young lovers. With a bitter feud between their respective families, Romeo and Juliet’s love is troubled from the start, and through their relationship, Shakespeare shows the fine line between love, hatred, comedy and tragedy. All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations. Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production. The full cast includes: Terrence Hardiman; Corin Redgrave; Toby Robertson; Richard Marquand; Anthony White; John Barton; David Jones; Tony Church; George Rylands; Anthony Arlidge; Clive Swift; Donald Beves; Julian Curry; Tony Church; George Rylands; Margaretta Scott; Janette Richer; Vivienne Chatterton; Denis McCarthy.

Romeo And Juliet

Nawal El Saadawi's most recent play, God Resigns at the Summit Meeting, created an uproar in her native Egypt. On the basis of the title alone, officials declared the work heretical and charged El Saadawi with insulting the "Almighty God", not just Islam. Her prosecutors requested that all her books be destroyed, that she be arrested on return to Egypt and her Egyptian nationality be revoked. In the play, the prophets and great women gather for a meeting with God. Satan arrives to tender his resignation but neither Jesus, nor Mohammad, nor Moses are willing to replace him. Finally, God himself resigns. The second play in this collection is Isis, a critique of the discriminatory rules that control women, the daughters of Isis. Both God Resigns and Isis incorporate key themes to El Saadawi's work: that all religions are inimical to women and the poor, that the oppression of women is reprehensible and not uniquely characteristic of the Middle East or the "Third World", and that free speech is fundamental to any society.

The Dramatic Literature of Nawal El Saadawi

'I know you're there… Miranda? Miranda!' On a summer's day in 1900, three Australian schoolgirls on a picnic expedition to the remote Hanging Rock abscond from their group. They are last seen heading towards the beckoning Rock… In Tom Wright's chilling adaptation of Joan Lindsay's classic novel, five performers struggle to solve the mystery of the missing girls and their teacher. Euphoria and terror reverberate throughout the community, as the potential for history to repeat itself becomes nightmarishly real. This adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock was first co-produced by Malthouse Theatre and Black Swan State Theatre Company, Perth, and first performed at Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne, in 2016. The play received its European premiere at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, in 2017.

Picnic at Hanging Rock

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1602. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet exacts on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet, who is Claudius's brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeding to the throne and taking as his wife Gertrude, the old king's widow and Prince Hamlet's mother. The play vividly portrays both true and feigned madness—from overwhelming grief to seething rage - and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and among the most powerful and influential tragedies in English literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others." The play was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime and still ranks among his most-performed, topping the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance list since 1879. It has inspired writers from Goethe and Dickens to Joyce and Murdoch, and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella". Shakespeare based Hamlet on the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum as subsequently retold by 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest. He may also have drawn on or perhaps written an earlier (hypothetical) Elizabethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet. He almost certainly created the title role for Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeare's time. In the 400 years since, the role has been performed by highly acclaimed actors from each successive age. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, the authorship of some of which is uncertain. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith.Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613 at age 49, where he died three years later. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the 19th century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw called "bardolatry". In the 20th century, his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.

'It's hard to accept ourselves out there. But in here, with our people, we can accept each other.' The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs, the only lesbian choir in the country, are trying to win their place on the Pride mainstage. In a run-down church hall with an OWL (Older, Wiser Lesbian) at the helm, the ragtag choir navigate love, loss and trying to agree on song choices. But despite their best intentions, they find that harmony comes at a price. Packed with laugh-out-loud moments and lots of lesbian drama, Iman Qureshi's play The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs was first performed at Soho Theatre, London, in 2022, directed by Hannah Hauer-King. This revised version of the play was published alongside the play's 2025 revival at Kiln Theatre, London.

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs

'So, if you Americans already have cornflakes and Woolworths, what brings you to England?' It's 1973, and a young man from Des Moines, Iowa, has arrived on the ferry at Dover. He intends to conquer the whole of the island, like Caesar attempted before him. But Caesar didn't have to deal with counterpanes, kippers, Cadbury's Curly Wurlies, or Mrs Smegma the landlady's eccentric house rules. As Bill travels the length and breadth of Britain, through villages with names like Titsey and Little Dribbling, something strange starts to happen. Can it be true? Is he really starting to feel at home? Bill Bryson's smash-hit memoir Notes from a Small Island spent three years in The Sunday Times bestseller list, sold over two million copies, and was voted the book which best represents the UK. Tim Whitnall's hilarious stage adaptation was first produced at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in 2023. Written for an ensemble cast of seven (but suitable for a cast of dozens), it will appeal to amateur drama groups as a glorious celebration of one of the nation's most beloved books, and a brilliant dissection of the enduring quirks of our small island.

Notes from a Small Island

First published in England in 1748, "The Memoirs of Fanny Hill" (also known as "Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure") is an erotic novel by English novelist John Cleland. "The Memoirs of Fanny Hill" chronicles the life of a London prostitute, describing with scatological and clinical precision many varieties of sexual behaviour. Although elegantly written, the novel was condemned as pornography and was suppressed from its initial publication, almost never being mentioned in literary circles. It was kept in print surreptitiously, however, and for almost two centuries the novel enjoyed a salacious reputation. The book was not published legally until 1963 in the United States and 1970 in England.

The Memoirs of Fanny Hill

The Poetic Edda is the most important collection of Norse-Icelandic mythological and heroic poetry, covering the creation of the world and the coming of Ragnarok, The Doom of the Gods. The mythological poems are an exploration of the wisdom of gods and giants, and tell of the adventures of the god Thor, against hostile giants, and rivalries amongst the gods. In the heroic poems we hear of the exploits of Helgi and his Valkyrie bride, the tragic tale of Sigurd and Byrnhild’s doomed love, and the terrible drama of Gudrun and her children. Many of the poems pre-date the conversion of Scandinavia to Christianity and give us a glimpse of the pagan beliefs of the North. This recording is of Carolyne Larrington’s revised translation (OUP) and is read by the accomplished actor Gunnar Cauthery (himself of Icelandic heritage).

The Poetic Edda

Another in the great Caedmon Shakespeare series from the 1960s. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and is best known for Shylock and the famous 'pound of flesh' speech. Shylock, a greedy Jewish money-lender, has lost his beloved daughter when she elopes with a man who belongs to a virulently anti-Semitic society. Shylock seeks a literal 'pound of flesh' from the Merchant of Venice – Antonio when he fails to pay the debt. Portia defends Antonio from Shylock's legal suit. Shylock ends by renouncing his faith and his fortune.

The Merchant of Venice

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. ‘Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.’ Shakespeare's most popular comedy, set in an enchanted forest with fairies, sparring lovers and a group of amateur actors who are putting on a play. Four Athenians run away to the forest only to have Puck the fairy make both of the boys fall in love with the same girl. The four run through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his master play a trick on the fairy queen. In the end, Puck reverses the magic, and the two couples reconcile and marry. All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations. Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production. The full cast includes: Frank Duncan; Joan Hart; Julian Curry; John Tracy-Phillips; Ian McKellen; Terrence Hardiman; Jeannette Sterke; Prunella Scales; Miles Malleson; Peter Woodthorpe; John Sharp; John Wood; Trevor Nunn; Christopher Kelly; Anthony White; Jill Balcon; Richard Goolden; Elizabeth Proud; George Rylands; John Sharp; Richard Kay.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY The World’s Leading Center for Shakespeare Studies The Folger Shakespeare Library, home to the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, brings Romeo and Juliet to life with this new full-length, full-cast dramatic recording of its definitive Folger Edition. In Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare creates a tragic world in which two young people fall in love. It is not simply that their families disapprove; the Montagues and the Capulets are engaged in a blood feud. This play, set in an extraordinary world, has become the quintessential story of young love. This new full-cast recording—based on the most respected edition of Shakespeare’s classic—expertly produced by the Folger Theatre, is perfect for students, teachers, and the everyday listener.

Folger Shakespeare Library Presents

Romeo and Juliet

Stacy Keach and Jane Kaczmarek star in Arthur Miller's 1949 masterpiece, a searing portrait of the physical, emotional, and psychological costs of the American dream. Willy Loman (Keach) is the play's iconic traveling salesman, whose family is torn apart by his desperate obsession with success and social acceptance. As his two sons cast about aimlessly for their station in life, Willy begins to come unraveled when the reality of his life threatens his long-cherished illusions. Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles in March 2011. Directed by Eric Simonson Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring: Steven Culp as Biff Loman Maureen Flannigan as Letta/Jenny Jason Henning as Bernard/Stanley Jane Kaczmarek as Linda Loman Stacy Keach as Willy Loman Kathryn Meisle as The Woman Tim Monsion as Uncle Ben Sam McMurray as Charley John Sloan as Happy Loman Kate Steele as Miss Forsythe Kenneth Alan Williams as Howard Recording, Editing and Mixing Engineer: Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood Sound Effects Artist: Tony Palermo

Death of a Salesman (Unabridged)

Antigone by Sophocles Audiobook is an Athenian tragedy written by Sophocles in (or before) 441 BC and first performed at the Festival of Dionysus of the same year. It is thought to be the second oldest surviving play of Sophocles, preceded by Ajax, which was written around the same period. The play is one of a triad of tragedies known as the three Theban plays, following Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus. Even though the events in Antigone occur last in the order of events depicted in the plays, Sophocles wrote Antigone first. The story expands on the Theban legend that predates it, and it picks up where Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes ends. The play is named after the main protagonist Antigone. Synopsis: Prior to the beginning of the play, the brothers Eteocles and Polynices, leading opposite sides in Thebes' civil war, died fighting each other for the throne. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes and brother of the former Queen Jocasta, has decided that Eteocles will be honored and Polynices will be in public shame. The rebel brother's body will not be sanctified by holy rites and will lie unburied on the battlefield, prey for carrion animals,[a] the harshest punishment at the time. Antigone and Ismene are the sisters of the dead Polynices and Eteocles. In the opening of the play, Antigone brings Ismene outside the palace gates late at night for a secret meeting: Antigone wants to bury Polynices' body, in defiance of Creon's edict. Ismene refuses to help her, not believing that it will actually be possible to bury their brother, who is under guard, but she is unable to stop Antigone from going to bury her brother herself. The chorus enter and cast the background story of the Seven against Thebes into a mythic and heroic context.

Antigone

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time. ‘Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.’ Set in France and Italy, All's Well That Ends Well is a story of one-sided romance, based on a tale from Boccaccio's The Decameron. Helen heals the King of France, and the King grants her permission to marry Bertram, the man she loves. Bertram rejects her and leaves a list of tasks that she must do to have him acknowledge their marriage. She follows him to Italy, completes all the tasks, and Bertram accepts her as his wife. All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations. Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production. The full cast includes: Michael Hordern; James Taylor Whitehead; Peter Orr; Max Adrian; Patrick Wymark; John Barton; Gordon Gardner; John Tracy-Phillips; Roy Dotrice; Philip Strick; Margaretta Scott; Prunella Scales; Esme Church; Janette Richer; Joan Hart.

All’s Well That Ends Well

A dark and visceral coming-of-age vampire love story, based on the acclaimed novel and film. Oskar is a bullied, lonely, teenage boy living with his mother on a housing estate at the edge of town, when a spate of sinister killings rocks the neighbourhood. Eli is the young girl who has just moved in next door. She doesn't go to school and never leaves the flat by day. Sensing in each other a kindred spirit, the two become devoted friends. What Oskar doesn't know is that Eli has been a teenager for a very long time… Jack Thorne's adaptation of Let The Right OneIn, based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, premiered in June 2013 at the Dundee Rep Theatre in a production by the National Theatre of Scotland, before transferring to London's Royal Court Theatre in November 2013. It won the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Theatre in 2014.

Let the Right One In

"Set in New York during the Jazz Age, this new adaptation tells the tragic tale of self-made millionaire Jay Gatsby. Consumed with desire for his former lover, Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby draws new neighbor Nick Carraway into his desperate pursuit to win her back - and into their world of lavish wealth, wild parties, and free-flowing liquor. Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in July 2023. Directed by Rosalind Ayres Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg An L.A. Theatre Works full cast recording, starring: Janine Barris as Catherine, Party Wife, Friend and Guests Nate Corddry as Nick Carraway Sarah Drew as Daisy Buchanan Mike McShane as Mr. McKee, Waiter, Policeman, Slagel, Second Butler, Mr. Gatz and others Moira Quirk as Myrtle Wilson, Party Wife and Guests Darren Richardson as George Wilson, First Butler, Owl Eyes, Nick's Dad, Klippsinger, and Guests Rufus Sewell as Jay Gatsby André Sogliuzzo as Meyer Wolfsheim, Mavro, Third Butler and Guests Devon Sorvari as Jordan Baker Matthew Wolf as Tom Buchanan Senior Producer: Anna Lyse Erikson Prepared for Audio: Mark Holden. Recording Engineer, Editor, Sound Designer and Mixer: Charles Carroll Automobile Design: Mark Holden Senior Radio Producer: Ronn Lipkin Foley Artist: Jeff Gardner"

rank|desc

publishdate|desc

publishdate|asc

rating|desc

title|asc

audioduration|desc

audioduration|asc

Plays & Playscripts

BookBeat lets you enjoy over 1 million audiobooks and e-books on your mobile or tablet. Try for free!

BookBeat - Audiobooks and e-books directly in the mobile. Try for free!

Unless you're out on an adventure, it's better to sign up at the website of {country}.

Plays & Playscripts

About us

Follow us

Help and contact

Information

BookBeat

Download BookBeat