Audiobook Sample
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- Title: All Things Are Possible
- Author: Lev Shestov
- Narrator: Expatriate
- Length: 05:09:43
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 01/01/2017
- Publisher: LibriVox
- Genre: Science & Technology, History
- ISBN13: SABLIB9786290
As I settled into my favorite armchair with a cup of oolong tea, the opening strains of Expatriate’s narration transported me back to my graduate school days at Harvard, where I first encountered Shestov’s radical ideas during a seminar on existentialist literature. The memory of that heated classroom debate about rationalism versus subjectivity came flooding back as I began listening to this remarkable LibriVox production of “All Things Are Possible”.
Shestov’s 1905 masterpiece, born from the crucible of Russia’s revolutionary period, remains astonishingly relevant in our era of algorithmic certainty and scientific positivism. Through a cultural lens shaped by my years studying Eastern and Western thought, I find Shestov’s rejection of rational systems particularly compelling when contrasted with the Confucian emphasis on harmony and order that shaped my childhood in Taiwan. The audiobook’s fragmented structure – a series of provocative aphorisms rather than linear argument – creates an immersive listening experience that mirrors the chaotic beauty of human consciousness itself.
What fascines me most is how Expatriate’s narration captures Shestov’s distinctive voice. The narrator’s measured pacing allows each paradoxical statement to land with appropriate weight (‘God is not and cannot be the truth’), while subtle vocal variations differentiate between Shestov’s polemics against Hegel and his more lyrical passages about faith. This reminded me of when I compared Murakami’s bilingual texts in Tokyo – how the same ideas resonate differently when conveyed through alternate mediums. The audiobook format particularly suits Shestov’s work, as the spoken word enhances the text’s oral, almost prophetic quality.
The central philosophical tensions – between reason and faith, necessity and possibility – unfold with particular clarity in audio form. Shestov’s critique of Spinoza’s geometric reasoning gains visceral impact when heard aloud, while his celebration of Dostoevsky’s ‘underground man’ benefits from Expatriate’s nuanced delivery. Certain passages about the ‘apotheosis of groundlessness’ took on new meaning when experienced during my evening walks through campus, the spoken words mingling with the autumn leaves crunching underfoot.
From my perspective as someone who teaches literary theory, the audiobook’s greatest strength lies in making Shestov’s complex ideas accessible without oversimplifying them. The production maintains appropriate scholarly rigor while avoiding the dryness that sometimes plagues philosophical recordings. Brief pauses between sections allow listeners to digest Shestov’s more challenging concepts, like his notion that ‘truth begins where possibility begins.’
Some listeners might find the absence of a traditional narrative arc disorienting, especially those accustomed to more structured philosophical works. However, this very fragmentation serves Shestov’s purpose – to shake us from our rational complacency. The audio experience amplifies this effect, creating what I can only describe as an intellectual jazz improvisation on existential themes.
Compared to other existentialist audiobooks in my collection – Nietzsche’s “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” or Camus’s “The Myth of Sisyphus” – Shestov’s work stands apart through its peculiarly Russian combination of intellectual fury and spiritual yearning. While the recording quality reflects LibriVox’s volunteer origins (with occasional slight inconsistencies in volume), this actually enhances the text’s raw, unvarnished quality, much like the crackle of a vintage vinyl record adds character to classical music.
For potential listeners, I’d recommend this audiobook particularly to:
1. Philosophy students seeking alternatives to Western rationalist traditions
2. Fans of Russian literature curious about its philosophical underpinnings
3. Anyone feeling constrained by our age of algorithmic certainty
4. Readers who enjoyed existentialist works but crave something more radically subjective
5. Auditory learners who appreciate complex ideas delivered in digestible fragments
Having now experienced Shestov both in print and through this audiobook, I’m convinced the audio format offers unique advantages for grasping his ideas. There’s something profoundly appropriate about hearing these anti-systematic thoughts spoken aloud – as if the very act of listening performs Shestov’s rebellion against the tyranny of the written word.
In intellectual solidarity,
Prof. Emily Chen
