Absalom, Absalom!

De: William Faulkner

Narrado por: Grover Gardner

Family drama and the legacy of slavery haunt this epic tale of an enigmatic stranger in Jefferson, Mississippi—from one of the most acclaimed writers of the twentieth century.

First published in 1936, Absalom, Absalom! is William Faulkner’s ninth novel and one of his most admired. It tells the story of Thomas Sutpen and his ruthless, single-minded attempt to forge a dynasty in Jefferson, Mississippi, in 1830. Although his grand design is ultimately destroyed by his own sons, a century later the figure of Sutpen continues to haunt young Quentin Compson, who is obsessed with his family legacy and that of the Old South.

“Faulkner’s novels have the quality of being lived, absorbed, remembered rather than merely observed,” noted Malcolm Cowley. “Absalom, Absalom! is structurally the soundest of all the novels in the Yoknapatawpha series—and it gains power in retrospect.”

Reseñas de la Crítica

“For range of effect, philosophical weight, originality of style, variety of characterization, humor, and tragic intensity, [Faulkner’s works] are without equal in our time and country.” —Robert Penn Warren

“He is the greatest artist the South has produced.... Indeed, through his many novels and short stories, Faulkner fights out the moral problem which was repressed after the nineteenth century [yet] for all his concern with the South, Faulkner was actually seeking out the nature of man. Thus we must turn to him for that continuity of moral purpose which made for greatness of our classics.” —Ralph Ellison

Narrator made the difficult easy.

I was nervous to read Faulkner having always heard how difficult his novels were. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease at which I was able to handle Absalom, Absalom! I give full credit for that to the excellent interpretation of Mr. Gardner. I never had trouble following the thoughts or complicated storyline of Faulkner's masterpiece. I now believe he is a MUST READ.

Faulkner's best

A terrific novel -- one of the finest written in America. And as a Southerner I have to salute the narrator. His accents weren't bad.

3rd Read Through

A very useful tool when reading Faulkner. I will gi back, immediately, and listen to Chapters 7-thru-9.

Faulkner is better to read than listen

The narrator is excellent, though deciphering the character who was speaking in dialogue was sometimes difficult (maybe intentional). The writing and the story are some of Faulkner’s best in my opinion. But because of the way Faulkner writes, many sentences are so long and discursive that I often had difficulty maintaining the concentration to follow and had to rewind and re-listen to the beginning or earlier part of a sentence. For me it’s much easier to read Faulkner on the page than to listen.

Incredible

I don’t know if this guy is putting on that southern accent or what, but this reading is just the greatest thing you will ever hear in your life.