The Unvanquished

By: William Faulkner

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

Set in Mississippi during the Civil War and Reconstruction, The Unvanquished focuses on the Sartoris family, who, with their code of personal responsibility and courage, stand for the best of the Old South's traditions.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of William Faulkner's book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview – where James Atlas interviews James Lee Burke about the life and work of William Faulkner – begins as soon as the audiobook ends.

This production is part of our Audible Modern Vanguard line, a collection of important works from groundbreaking authors.©1940 William Faulkner (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Compelling stories

These linked stories are told from the point of view of Bayard Sartoris, who is twelve years old when his father, a confederate colonel, briefly returns home ahead of advancing Union forces in “Ambuscade,” and twenty-four when he must reckon with the colonel’s personal foe, and his legacy, in “An Odor of Verbena.” In between, he, “Granny” Sartoris, and Ringo, the slave with whom he was raised, meet both the injustice of war and the justice being wrought by it with indignation and resourcefulness. Kevin T. Collins gives a fine performance, imbuing each character with personality you can hear. My only quibble is that the slowness and intonation of Ringo’s speech suggests a slower wit than he owns. The stories themselves are at turns violent and humorous, and they capture the challenges to personal and societal codes by necessity, injury, and progress in a thoughtful and entertaining way. They also contain objectionable language, and sentiments (expressed mostly by Granny) about the proper place for black people caught between slavery and freedom, and portrayals of groups of black people who believe that that place is somewhere else, that are problematic at best.

Humorous and poignant

Not as difficult as some Faulkner, The Unvanquished deals with the Civil War through the eyes of a youth who matures during and after the war and who recounts his encounters with violence. From the violence eventually a pacificist viewpoint emerges in light of the Almighty's dictum: thou shall not kill. Yet there is humor throughout the book, and you may find yourself laughing out loud. And the skill of the narrator is of the highest quality I have heard on audio. Enjoy.

Better listened to than read.

Even though reading it is also great. Highly recommended, evocative of what it might have been like to lived in the midst of the Civil War

Bravery had many faces

He makes the yankees look both worse than the rebels and better than the rebels . He makes the women seem of tougher stuff than the men. The black people were harder working, faithful, and dependable. Life was impossible without them. It was a coming of age for the son who found a way to prove himself without the brutality of his own father.

Well worth the time

Started out slow, but picked up steam. The writing is not politically correct, but the listener needs to persevere. It will be worth your while if you do.