Rupert of Hentzau

By: Anthony Hope

Narrated by: John Roland

The story of "Rupert of Hentzau" is set in the kingdom of Ruritania, in Germanic Middle Europe. There is Rudolf Elphberg, the dissolute absolute monarch of Ruritania; Rudolf Rassendyll, the English gentleman who had acted as his political decoy, being his distant cousin and look alike; Flavia, the princess, now queen; Rupert of Hentzau, the dashing well-born villain; Fritz von Tarlenheim, the loyal courtier. Queen Flavia, dutifully but unhappily married to her cousin Rudolf V, writes to her true love Rudolf Rassendyll. The letter is carried by von Tarlenheim to be delivered by hand, but it is stolen by the exiled Rupert of Hentzau, who sees in it a chance to return to favor by informing the regularly jealous and paranoid King...

Public Domain (P)2019 Musaicum Books

Sad and Noble Men

Narrator John Roland delivers a touching interpretation of this compelling, triumphant tragedy. Fritz, the young, romantic sidekick in “Prizoner of Zenda” is an old man now, remembering the friendships he shared in search of a youthful dream and particularly the star-crossed lovers at its center. It is a lovely story of Victorian honor - inspiring, enriching, utterly impossible today. It is a morality play acted simply by people who took morality seriously and tried to live honorable lives. The reader must read “Prisoner of Zenda” first to make this book make sense but doing so only increases the pleasure. The charming villain, the beautiful queen, the royal intrigues, and Rudolf, the man tricked by fate and caught by love, spin an engrossing, admirable tale that stays with you long after the covers close.