Finnegans Wake

By: James Joyce

Narrated by: Barry McGovern, Marcella Riordan

Length: 29 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

"Riverrun past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs...."

So starts Finnegans Wake, the greatest challenge in 20th-century literature. Who is Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker? And what did he get up to in Phoenix Park? And what did Anna Livia Plurabelle have to say about it? In the rich nighttime and the language of dreams, here are history, anecdote, myth, folk tale and, above all, a wondrous sense of humor, colored by a clear sense of humanity. In this exceptional reading by the Irish actor Barry McGovern, with Marcella Riordan, the world of the Wake is more accessible than ever before.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©1975 The Trustees of the Estate of James Joyce (P)2021 Naxos AudioBooks

Magnificent reading

I’ve been fascinated with FW for decades now. I can’t tell you what a treat it is finally to have such a worthy reading of the entire text. Amazing!

Much Ado About Nothing

Finnegan’s Wake is a remarkable performance by gifted actors, who seem to understand what they’re talking about even though I had no idea what they were talking about from beginning to end. It was quite remarkable to spend 30 hours listening to what sounds like gibberish and yet somehow enjoying it. I feel the same way about much modern poetry and song which are both lovely and incoherent. I’m glad I listened to this “novel” but I don’t know what I listened to.

needs prep to enjoy

before and after each chapter I read a chapter guide/summary, which allowed me to pick up way more than going in blind. Very clever once you have the key.

Extraordinary

For longtime lovers of Finnegans Wake as for those diving in for the first time, this reading is a precious, moving accompaniment. “Lots of fun…”

The most entertaining experience of the year...

You will hear that Finnegans Wake is a difficult read, if not impossible. Instead of reading it, try experiencing it through the voices of Barry McGovern and Marcella Riordan. They bring to life what, at first reading, appears to be gibberish.

I think of Finnegans Wake as a story being dictated from a dream, complete with all you would expect from a dream; a stream of consciousness tale linking word and thought associations with double and tripple entendres. There is singing, there is prose, and there is poetry; there is a rhythm in a lot of the book that the narrators bring out nicely.

If you ever had a dream where everybody you ever met and everything you ever experienced got linked together, along with all the coincidences that ever happened in your life and you had the task of putting them all into one story, it just might turn out like Finnegans Wake. This was indeed the most enteraining experience of the year...

so helpful

i loved it and found it necessary to finally truly fall in love with this book. this performance is so daunting the effort alone should be celebrated!

Masterpiece

Truly Amazing! Every time I read Joyce the experience is deepened and expanded. There are so many levels to enjoy.

An excellent reading of a difficult text

No one should pick up Finnegans Wake expecting an ordinary story. Look well before setting sail on this work. But if you have decided to read it, this audio rendition will be an outstanding help. (For one chapter, Shem the Penman, I am partial to the reading by Cyril Cusack, also available on Audible. But delightful as that recording is, it is of a heavily abridged text. This recording is unabridged. A monumental achievement.)

pro tip

Slow it to .80/.85 speed. It will aid you in this quest. I can hear it now...but still have no idea what's going on...

not finished. but happy.

I bought a Joseph Campbell set from pbs years ago I think it was called on wings of Art. all about James Joyce and quite a bit in Finnegan's Wake. It contained his reading and explaining large portions of Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake. it was so helpful and well done. I did read Ulysses and with that guidance from Campbell's talks, made it through and did enjoy it. I just did not make it through Finnegan's Wake. though all of the material Campbell read and explained was nothing but enticing.
having been a reader for many many years, many and varied books. from classics to legal thrillers. after some pretty heavy changes in my life, including losing the person closest to me and also a reader( we talked about and read books continuously) , I came to a point that I just didn not pick up many books, but listened to audiobooks only(wanting to hear a voice. recently a very interesting and compelling YouTuber caught my attention about the beauty and richness of literature I have been missing. anyway, he made the argument to listen to this recording as, with the idea it's basically like music. and listening to this reading will help more naturally understand . well, though, it goes by so quickly( I'm mean so many I'm used words in a river of meanings) I find myself picking quite a bit, though I know it's so packed, will need to repeat repair repeat. but . some passages just caught me by surprise and I had to cackle.