Sharply observant and wickedly funny, E.F. Benson’s six ‘Mapp and Lucia’ novels satirise the upper-middle-class social climbers in 1920s and ’30s rural England. Games of bridge and cups of tea fuel hilarious gossip and vindictive plots a-plenty. It is a masterfully sustained spotlight on the minutiae of village life – a clever and ultimately heart-warming series that seems tailor-made for audio.

Volume 1 contains the first three books: 'Queen Lucia', 'Miss Mapp' and 'Lucia in London'.

For more information, visit https://naxosaudiobooks.com/complete-mapp-and-lucia-volume-1-the-unabridged

E.F. Benson – The Complete Mapp and Lucia, Volume 1 (sample)

Jane Austen’s most popular novel, originally published in 1813, some 17 years after it was first written, presents the Bennet family of Longbourn. Against the background of gossipy Mrs Bennet and the detached Mr Bennet, the quest is on for husbands for the five daughters. The spotlight falls on Elizabeth, second eldest, who is courted by Mr Darcy though initially she is more concerned with the fate of her other sisters. This marvellous account of family life in Regency England is read with customary panache by Juliet Stevenson.

Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice (sample)

Justine is the first volume in The Alexandria Quartet, four interlinked novels set in the sensuous, hot environment of Alexandria just before the Second World War. Within this polyglot setting of richly idiosyncratic characters is Justine, wild and intense, wife to the wealthy businessman Nessim, a Mari complaisant. Her emotional and sexual wildness fuels a highly charged atmosphere which, caught famously by Durrell’s poetic language, made Justine (1957), and the three novels that complete the Quartet – Balthazar (1958), Mountolive (1958), and Clea (1960) – both a critical and a popular success. To find out more, visit: https://naxosaudiobooks.com/justine-unabridged-2

Lawrence Durrell – Justine (sample)

‘War is a mere continuation of policy by other means.’ A classic work of military strategy, On War sets forth the theories and tactics of Carl von Clausewitz, a distinguished Prussian general who was notable for his roles in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The book covers a broad range of topics, including weapons, terrain, troops and leadership, as well as the importance of defence over offence, the balance of power, and the subordination of war to politics. Praised for its timeless insights, Clausewitz’s treatise is often compared to the work of Machiavelli and Sun Tzu, and remains relevant to military leaders today. For more information, visit naxosaudiobooks.com/on-war-unabridged

Carl von Clausewitz – On War (sample)

In 1572, Montaigne – nobleman, humanist, and thoroughly Renaissance man – retired to the seclusion of his estate in the Dordogne and started to write. From his pen poured a stream of ‘essays’ – attempts to capture the observations that came to him on an idiosyncratic range of subjects, from ancient customs, cannibals and books to thumbs, war-horses and the wearing of clothes. He made the study of himself the starting point for investigations into how to live, and wrote with a startlingly modern candour about love, grief, friendship, sex and death. His voice, by turns lively, curious, digressive, ironic and moving, is utterly captivating. The Essays feel less like a work of literature and more like an ongoing conversation with a very well-informed friend. For more information, visit naxosaudiobooks.com/complete-essays-the-unabridged

Michel de Montaigne – The Complete Essays (sample)

In Moscow an unknown author approaches a publisher (the narrator), asking him to read and publish his manuscript. The narrator agrees to read it before the author returns three months later. At the heart of the story in the manuscript is a love triangle and themes of corruption, concealed love and fatal jealousy. When one of the central characters is discovered dead, the narrative becomes a murder-mystery as the search for the culprit begins. Written by Chekhov in his early twenties, The Shooting Party is his only full-length novel. Here it is read by the prolific and popular narrator Nicholas Boulton. For more information, visit naxosaudiobooks.com/shooting-party-the-unabridged

Anton Chekhov – The Shooting Party (sample)

Published in 1884, Against Nature (À rebours) concerns the attempts of its cultured and neurotic anti-hero, Des Esseintes, to escape contemporary Parisian life. At his rural retreat he is able to indulge his particular artistic tastes as he muses on a range of topics including literature, religion and painting.

Although regarded as shocking on its publication, Against Nature was received with enthusiasm by the aesthetic movement and, most particularly, Oscar Wilde, who featured the book in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Against Nature marks a departure from the classic form of 19th-century literature, and this audiobook features the full text, with previously expurgated parts restored. To find out more, visit naxosaudiobooks.com/against-nature-unabridged

Joris-Karl Huysmans – Against Nature (sample)

From travelling to the moon to fighting a 40-foot-long crocodile and riding a cannonball through the air, Baron von Munchausen’s incredible account of his own adventures has entertained readers since its initial appearance in 1785. The obvious comedy of the book, which lies in Munchausen’s boasts about his own adventures, is heightened by the calm and objective way in which he frames his narrative. The Baron appears to fully believe the death-defying episodes with which he regales his listeners.

The stories of Baron von Munchausen have loomed large in popular culture and have been the subject of several films, most notably that directed by Terry Gilliam in 1988, while many notable artists have found inspiration in the adventures. For more information, visit naxosaudiobooks.com/adventures-of-baron-munchausen-the-unabridged

Rudolf Erich Raspe – The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (sample)

Procopius appeared to be a loyal part of the Byzantine establishment, his official writing glorifying the deeds of the Emperor Justinian (d. AD 565). However, he also produced a work that he knew could never be published within the Emperor’s lifetime: The Secret History, a vitriolic indictment of the rule of Justinian and his wife Theodora.

In The Secret History, the general Belisarius is presented as an idiot who is manipulated by his conniving wife Antonina, while the Emperor is depicted as a demon king, a dishonest and autocratic destroyer of established institutions. The Empress Theodora doesn’t escape Procopius’ invective – she is portrayed as the antithesis of the traditional Roman matron: depraved, brutal and bloodthirsty. For more information, visit naxosaudiobooks.com/secret-history-the-unabridged

Procopius – The Secret History (sample)

A.J.A. Symons discovered Frederick Rolfe’s Hadrian the Seventh in 1925 and became consumed with fascination for its eccentric author, aka ‘Baron Corvo’. His ‘quest’ takes the form of an irresistible detective story, the twists and turns of his investigation into Rolfe’s unfortunate life resulting in a groundbreaking form of biography that reveals much about both men. It paints a tragi-comic portrait of a prickly, paranoid, talented Englishman who failed at becoming a Catholic priest and led a profligate lifestyle in Venice; a charmer with a sharp wit, a vituperative tongue and a talent for self-destruction. The process and the subject are as fascinating as each other, and this ‘experiment’ continues to stand out nearly a century after it was published. For more information, visit naxosaudiobooks.com/quest-for-corvo-an-experiment-in-biography-the-unabridged

A.J.A Symons – The Quest for Corvo (sample)

The first of Kafka’s three great novels, The Man Who Disappeared (America) follows the picaresque adventures of Karl Rossman, who is banished to America following a family scandal. Upon his arrival, Karl immediately happens upon his uncle, and from there follows a pattern of wandering, adoption and expulsion as Karl marches inexorably on towards the interior of the continent. With its blitheness and comical moments, The Man Who Disappeared is perhaps the most charming of Kafka’s works. It fits perfectly into Kafka’s trinity of novels as alienation and unjust persecution pervade the work, and Karl appears to plunge towards a catastrophe as grim as those in The Trial or The Castle. For more information, visit naxosaudiobooks.com/man-who-disappeared-america-the

Franz Kafka – The Man Who Disappeared (America) (sample)

Banned by the Nazis, the haunting novel At the Edge of the Night (Am Rande der Nacht), by the German writer Friedo Lampe, is a work of magic realism. This poignant book, beautifully translated by Simon Beattie, was, in Lampe’s own words, ‘born into a regime where it could not breathe’; he hoped that one day it might rise again. It evokes the sensations and impressions of a sultry September evening on the waterfront of Bremen, with its charm and tenderness, squalor and lust. The plot contains a stream of images with many characters: children, old and young people, men and women, townsfolk, performers, students and sailors. Its depiction of raw reality was unacceptable to the Nazis: the book was seized by them in December 1933 and withdrawn from sale.

At the Edge of the Night is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that offers a unique perspective on the experience of the Second World War. Lampe’s prose is lyrical and evocative, and his characters are complex and multi-dimensional. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of the war or the human experience of conflict. It drew praise from Hermann Hesse, who first read it in 1933 and said that ‘what struck us at the time… as so beautiful and powerful has not paled, it has withstood; it proves itself with the best, and captivates and delights just as then’. Visit naxosaudiobooks.com/at-the-edge-of-the-night-unabridged for more information

Friedo Lampe – At the Edge of the Night (sample)

A new pupil, Augustin Meaulnes, arrives at a rural school, and his bravado and charisma make an immediate impact on all those around him, including the 15-year-old François Seurel. The newcomer suddenly disappears for several days, during which time he stumbles across a mysterious manor house, which is home to a beautiful girl, Yvonne de Galais. After returning, ‘Le Grand Meaulnes’ embarks on a search to find again the lost manor and the happiness he found there. His tortuous journey, observed by his devoted friend François, is a moving depiction of the pain of adolescent love and desperate friendship. Lauded for its powerful portrayal of adolescence, Le Grand Meaulnes found an immediate place in the canon of European literature from its first appearance in 1913. Alain-Fournier died in the year following its publication and it remains his only novel. naxosaudiobooks.com/le-grand-meaulnes-unabridged

Alain-Fournier – Le Grand Meaulnes (sample)

A blistering rebuke of religious hypocrisy, Elmer Gantry is the story of a charismatic and manipulative social climber who rises to power within his church, despite his insincerity. Though he preaches against immorality and temptation, Reverend Dr Elmer Gantry can’t seem to give up his own vices, and he leaves a trail of broken people behind him in his pursuit of pleasure and power, betraying anybody and doing anything to get ahead. Published in 1927, the novel created a furore upon its publication, resulting in threats of violence against the author, who was called ‘Satan’s cohort’. However, the book was a commercial success, and it is considered a landmark in American literature. It is recognised today for its prescient depiction of power and fanaticism. For more information, visit naxosaudiobooks.com/elmer-gantry-unabridged

Sinclair Lewis – Elmer Gantry (sample)

Poland, January 1945. Two women and four men escape from a Nazi death march after enduring the horrors of imprisonment at Auschwitz. Despite their individual backgrounds and nationalities, they form their own family caught between the euphoria of freedom and the terror of their circumstances. This is a tale of exploding joy within a hothouse of fear, of human beings erupting into life after breaking free of death’s embrace – an unusual and moving tale that cements Albert Maltz’s reputation as a compassionate observer of character and one of the finest storytellers of his generation.

Read by the versatile AudioFile Golden Voice, Rupert Degas, and including the music that features within the story. Visit naxosaudiobooks.com/tale-of-one-january-a-unabridged for more information.

Albert Maltz – A Tale of One January (sample)

Set in the Dutch East Indies in 1900, Joseph Conrad’s last major novel, Victory, tells the story of Axel Heyst, a European who has retreated to the island of Samburan following a business misadventure. Heyst’s aim to live a solitary existence is cut short when he meets an enchanting English violinist named Lena and brings her back to his island, rescuing her from her predatory patron Schomberg. Together they create a haven and Lena reawakens Heyst’s passion for life, but the world soon breaks in on them as Schomberg exacts his revenge. Visit naxosaudiobooks.com/victory-unabridged for more information.

Joseph Conrad – Victory (sample)

Hester (1883) is a dramatic story of female power and family tensions within Victorian society. Using her own money, Catherine Vernon manages to save the family bank from collapse after her cousin John absconds with some of its money. As the matriarch of Redborough, Catherine is used to commanding authority, but this is challenged with the arrival of John’s strong and capable teenage daughter, Hester. Ignorant of her father’s conduct, Hester takes against Catherine and a mutual antipathy soon sets in. A masterpiece of domestic realism, the novel is one of Mrs Oliphant’s most admired works. Visit naxosaudiobooks.com/hester-unabridged for more information.

Margaret Oliphant – Hester (sample)

Published in 1928, Orlando is a fictional biography that spans several centuries and follows the protagonist, Orlando, an Elizabethan nobleman who undergoes a mysterious gender transformation. The novel explores themes of gender identity, fluidity and the constraints imposed by societal norms. It challenges traditional notions of gender roles and raises questions about the nature of identity and the passage of time. Orlando is widely regarded as one of Virginia Woolf’s most innovative and influential works. It is known for its lyrical prose and experimental narrative style, blending historical fiction, fantasy and satire. The book is often celebrated for its contribution to feminist literature. Visit naxosaudiobooks.com/orlando-unabridged for more information.

Virginia Woolf – Orlando (sample)

Juliet answers questions by our friends at austenprose.com. She discusses her love for Austen's work, her long-standing relationship with Naxos and how she prepares for her award-winning recordings. Click on the following link to see a full list of her recordings for Naxos AudioBooks: https://naxosaudiobooks.com/stevenson-juliet/

Juliet Stevenson Interview – for austenprose.com

The Portrait of a Lady tells the compelling and ultimately tragic tale of a beautiful young American woman’s encounter with European sophistication. Set principally in England and Italy, the story follows Isabel Archer’s fortunes as a variety of admirers vie for her hand. Her choice will be crucial, and she is not wanting for advice, whether from the generous- spirited Ralph Touchett or the charming but rootless Madame Merle.

Henry James – The Portrait of a Lady (sample)

A House for Mr Biswas, by Nobel and Booker Prize-winning author V.S. Naipaul, is a powerful novel about one man’s struggle for identity and belonging. Born into poverty, then trapped in the shackles of charity and gratitude, Mr Biswas longs for a house he can call his own. He loathes his wife and her wealthy family, upon whom he is dependent. Finding himself a mere accessory on their estate, his constant rebellion is motivated by the one thing that can symbolise his independence. The book is striking in its lush and sensual descriptions of Trinidad and was listed as one of Time magazine’s 100 Best English-Language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

V.S. Naipaul – A House for Mr Biswas (sample)

Naples ’44 is an unflinching autobiographical account of a year in Naples after the armistice and Allied landings in Sorrento in 1943. Working as a British counterintelligence officer under the Allied occupation, Lewis documents the rich pageant of life in the city and its surrounding areas. There is suffering and squalor: criminal gangs are on the rise, along with typhus and black market commerce, and the female population is forced into part-time prostitution, simply to obtain food. Corruption is rife as a Genovese crime family member makes his way into the US army administration, and local hospitals, short on supplies, buy equipment back from those who stole it. There is farce and humour too, witnessed in the Roman uncle paid handsomely simply to appear at funerals and lend an air of gravitas, and in Lewis’s own experience of vetting proposed marriages between British soldiers and local women. Unsparing, penetrating and profoundly humane, Naples ’44 is a moving portrait of the costs of war, and the resilience of a society under extreme stress.

Norman Lewis – Naples '44 (sample)

Gerald Durrell’s last book, The Aye-Aye and I records his final animal-collecting expedition, a trip to Madagascar in 1990, and his efforts to save the elusive and mythical lemuroid known as the Aye-Aye. Prompted by the country’s radical deforestation, and slash-and-burn agriculture, Durrell, his wife, and their team of zoologists embark on a mission to capture and conserve the species – distinguished by its ‘giant, chisel-like teeth’, ‘round, hypnotic eyes’ and large ‘spoon-like ears’. During the course of their journey, they encounter golden river snakes, flat-tailed tortoises, the gentle lemurs of Lac Alaotra, and the Malagasy chameleons. Durrell’s exuberant descriptions of the island, its people and ecology are among his best.

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