The Cabala

by Thornton Wilder Narrated by Tristan Morris

Overview

""Thornton Wilder's 1926 debut novel probes the inscrutable mystery of the ancient, fabulous wealth that confers a kind of immortality on its custodians, allowing their natures to form without concession or compromise to life beyond their privileged enclave. . . . [It]*established Wilder as one of the most accomplished stylists of his generation."" -The Guardian

In*The Cabala, Samuele, an American student, spends a year in the fabulously decadent world of post World War I Rome. He experiences first-hand the waning days of a secret community-a “cabala” composed of decaying European royalty, eccentric expatriate Americans, even a great cardinal of the Roman Church.

The vivid portraits he paints of these characters, whom he views as the vestigial representatives of the gods and goddesses of Ancient Rome, launched Wilder's career as a celebrated storyteller and literary stylist.

Editorial Reviews

JULY 2020 - AudioFile

Narrator Tristan Morris brings a youthful confidence to this wonderfully gentle, erudite, and satirical tour of a fanciful early-twentieth-century Rome. An American student of the classics spends a year abroad and happens upon a secretive mystical society of aristocratic misfits called “The Cabala.” Morris is at his best providing broad comic Italian accents to a menagerie of eccentric characters ranging from the sweet Duchess d’Aquilanera to the lovesick Princess Alix d’Espoli and the spiritually challenged Cardinal Vaini. First published in 1926, Wilder’s debut novel is a fine mix of send-ups of classical myth, high society, and Puritan values. Plus, the book acted as the opening fanfare of an author who would be beloved and celebrated for years to come. B.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JULY 2020 - AudioFile

Narrator Tristan Morris brings a youthful confidence to this wonderfully gentle, erudite, and satirical tour of a fanciful early-twentieth-century Rome. An American student of the classics spends a year abroad and happens upon a secretive mystical society of aristocratic misfits called “The Cabala.” Morris is at his best providing broad comic Italian accents to a menagerie of eccentric characters ranging from the sweet Duchess d’Aquilanera to the lovesick Princess Alix d’Espoli and the spiritually challenged Cardinal Vaini. First published in 1926, Wilder’s debut novel is a fine mix of send-ups of classical myth, high society, and Puritan values. Plus, the book acted as the opening fanfare of an author who would be beloved and celebrated for years to come. B.P. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172895685
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos