Free and Other Stories

By: Theodore Dreiser

Narrated by: John Burlinson

This collection presents eleven of Dreiser’s best tales, ranging from trenchant social analysis to penetrating character study.

One of Dreiser’s most powerful stories, “N****r Jeff” was occasioned when Dreiser was forced to witness a lynching, an experience that disturbed him deeply.

H. L. Mencken was a great champion of Dreiser during his lifetime, declaring that:

“He is a great artist, and that no other American of his generation left so wide and handsome a mark upon the national letters. American writing, before and after his time, differed almost as much as biology before and after Darwin. He was a man of large originality, of profound feeling, and of unshakable courage. All of us who write are better off because he lived, worked, and hoped.”

Public Domain (P)2022 Voices of Today

OK to Very Good

I really loved several Dreiser novels, so I tried this book of short stories. These ranged from OK to very good. Dreiser is often rather dark, and the title story “Free” was the best and most like his novels. All of the stories were above the average short story and well worth the time.

The narration was excellent.