All the King's Men

By: Robert Penn Warren

Narrated by: Michael Emerson

Robert Penn Warren, America's first Poet Laureate, penned one of the most widely read works in American literature with the Pulitzer Prize-winning All the King's Men. An unrivaled novel of American politics, Warren's masterpiece is a classic tale every bit as relevant today as it was upon its release more than 50 years ago.

The fictionalized account of Louisiana's colorful and notorious governor, Huey Pierce Long, All the King's Men follows the startling rise and fall of Willie Stark, a country lawyer in the Deep South of the 1930s. Beset by political enemies, Stark seeks aid from his right-hand man, Jack Burden, who will bear witness to the cataclysmic unfolding of this very American tragedy.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Literary Fiction, 2007

"The definitive novel about American politics." (The New York Times)
"Mr. Warren has employed vivid characterization and strong language combined with subtle overtones to write a vital, compelling narrative." (Booklist)
"Michael Emerson's performance brings the characters to life with verve and personality....Through a mix of understatement and intensity, Emerson clearly conveys the political turmoil underlying the book; his performance perfectly complements the story, which is as timely as it was 60 years ago....Emerson's reading does justice to a great work." (AudioFile)

people & politics

a classic exploration of the complexities of personality, power, character, good and evil. the writing is sublime and the narration is wonderful. i found myself stopping the play just to think about the implications of the author's observations on characters and events. it is a novel of it's time and uses the vernacular of its time. that, too, is something to ponder and to assess for ourselves how much we believe that we as individuals or society have changed.
very thought provoking. i know i will come back to listen to this again.

Tough Read, thankfully there's Audible

It took both the audible book and a tangible book for me to read and comprehend this story. Robert Penn Warren has some lengthy descriptions and tangents that were too distracting in the reading but his many characters and connection of thoughts/concepts over a large expanse of chapters had me pausing the audible book and thumbing back through to find and mark notes in the tangible copy. So both were necessary.
This book is rich in the history and culture of the early to mid 20th Century. If you are interested in this material you should certainly read it!

Revisiting a classic

Would you consider the audio edition of All the King's Men to be better than the print version?

Certainly. The narration actually adds an extra depth to the story

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. In fact I listened to it over a period of 2 months

A captivating performance of my all-time favorite novel

I have loved this novel since I first read it in high school. No book more purely captures human nature and each person's quest for meaning. The narrator Jack Burton takes the reader on a dispassionate tour of the heights and depths of his human passions, from Machiavellian politics to periods of depression to lifelong friendships to falling in love. The audio version provides an added dimension of serenity to the reader's experience with the novel. Though this recording is many hours long, I will listen more than once.

Classic of southern literature with a performance worthy of that status

Mr Emerson's performance is flawless and engaging. The best book+performance that I have had (so far) with audible.