• Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street

  • By: Herman Melville
  • Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
  • Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (541 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street  By  cover art

Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street

By: Herman Melville
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $7.76

Buy for $7.76

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Herman Melville’s tale of corporate discontent, Bartleby, the Scrivener, tells the story of a quiet, hardworking legal copyist who works in an office in the Wall Street area of New York City. The business where he works handles the official financial paperwork of wealthy men. One day, Bartleby’s employer requests he proofread one of the documents he has copied. Bartleby declines the assignment with the inscrutable “I would prefer not,” the first of what will become many refusals. The utterance of this remark sets off a confounding set of actions and behavior, making the unsettling character of Bartleby one of Melville’s most enigmatic and unforgettable creations.

Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Herman Melville is one of American literature’s greatest figures.” ( The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English)

What listeners say about Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    347
  • 4 Stars
    132
  • 3 Stars
    47
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    353
  • 4 Stars
    97
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    314
  • 4 Stars
    101
  • 3 Stars
    53
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very strange, very haunting

Stefan Rudnicki has an almost impossibly deep voice, but he plays it like an instrument in this strange and haunting story about a lost soul. Bartleby is probably one of the most passive central characters in literature: his standard response to a request to do something is, "I would prefer not to." I can't honestly say I understand the story, but the feelings of sadness and compassion (with occasional dashes of frustration) come through in this excellent reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Tragic, Funny, and Thought Provoking

Bartleby the Scrivener is short story, which explores the society and humanity on Wall Street in the late 19th century. I completely enjoyed the narrator character and the other office workers. Melville’s prose are excellent and he was able to write a parable that is at once thought provoking, tragic, and quite funny. The narration is spot on, delivering the funny lines as dead pan as they were intended to be.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The perfect short story

Written by Herman Melville in 1853 Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is a wonderful story. The publisher's summary is excellent so I will not add to it. The Bartalby character is one that you will never forget. The story is a true American classic. Narration by Stefan Rudnicki is outstanding.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

My Review

"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street" is... On second thought, I would prefer not to say.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Short and peculiar

Any additional comments?

It's a quick and easy listen. I like the story more as time passes. I often find myself thinking about this story in real life situations when people fail to fulfill their obligations (as societal conventions dictate).

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My psych told me to go to CoDependents Anonymous.

I did not see this coming! Please give this book a chance. Written in 1853.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Bartleby, the Scrivener

This is a touching and well written short story about the eccentricity of a quiet, unassuming scribe with a singular preference, "I would rather not."

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

What a strange man

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I wish there was more background on Bartleby. Perhaps a followup that would include how he became such a strange person.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Sad, sorry, sorrowful, reflective on my own life's experiences.

What does Stefan Rudnicki bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Stefan was an excellent choice of reader, he provided voice characterizations that were of period and were interesting.

Could you see Bartleby, the Scrivener being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No, too much would be lost in the story. It would not be nearly as intellectual and entertaining.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

intentionally vague, or just not a good story?

lots of debate being had about this, and perhaps that was the author's sole intent... however, his other works aren't quite as nebulous, so I'm left wondering if this isn't just a poorly written short story with no real meaning.

I certainly take away my own interpretation... no matter how many times you try to help someone, they won't get ahead unless they help themselves.

but I hardly think this was the intent of the author. who knows.

voice actor did a great job tho.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

boring

Superbly written but rather dull. I didn't find any of the characters particularly interesting, and the ending didn't pay off. It could have worked if Bartleby had more to him but I didn't know enough about him to care.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!