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Billy Budd

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Billy Budd

By: Herman Melville
Narrated by: Peter Joyce
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About this listen

On one level... Melville’s tale is an historical adventure telling the story of life aboard ship shortly after the mutiny at Spithead in 1797. Billy is taken from a homeward bound merchantman to serve on the ‘Seventy Four’ HMS Indomitable. He falls foul of Claggart, the ‘Master at Arms’, and the final confrontation results in death. Billy becomes an unwilling martyr - what passes for justice must be implemented because of the rebellious climate of the time. However, below the surface lie some of Melville’s thematic obsessions: the aristocratic savage placed against an inhumanity born of service in time of war, innocence overtaken by fate and the worthy encompassed by the inevitable. The natures of evil and conscience are explored and ‘Billy Budd’ is the author’s “last word upon the strange mystery of himself and human destiny”. Melville is regarded by many as the finest author America has produced.

©2011 Assembled Stories (P)2006 Assembled Stories Classics Destiny
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Critic reviews

About Assembled Stories: Over the years the national press have reviewed Assembled Stories titles as "excellent", "remarkable", "entrancing", "superb", "magic for sure", "masterly", "wonderful", "a class act" and "a splendid example of audio at its best".
"Peter Joyce is the most remarkable one-man band in audiobook publishing. Joyce, an experienced actor, reads them all himself." (The Independent)

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Riveting Tale of Naval Life

Having just read Moby Dick, I was keen to hear more of Herman Melville‘s inimitable prose. This lovely, if sad tale did exactly that. Full of the characters of the Navy at the sea, at that time, full of the peculiarities of life aboard a naval ship and replete with Stories and allusions to ancient history as is typical of Melville. Thoroughly enjoyed it. If you enjoyed Moby Dick, I think you will like this short tale.

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