Audiobook Sample
Listen to the sample to experience the story.
Please wait while we verify your browser...
- Title: As I Lay Dying
- Author: William Faulkner
- Narrator: Various
- Length: 06:51:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 16/08/2005
- Publisher: Random House (Audio)
- Genre: Fiction & Literature, Literary Fiction, Classics, Sagas
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
The first time I encountered “As I Lay Dying”, it was through the flickering glow of my Kindle at 2 AM during my MIT days. But when I recently experienced the multi-voice audiobook production, Faulkner’s fragmented Southern Gothic masterpiece transformed into something entirely new – a chorus of unreliable memories that reminded me why I started my ‘Future of Stories’ podcast in the first place. Here’s what makes this audio adaptation so compelling in our digital storytelling age.
“”Audio as the Perfect Medium for Faulkner’s Experiment””
Faulkner’s 1930 novel – with its 15 distinct narrators and stream-of-consciousness style – practically begs for audio adaptation. The various narrators in this production (including notable talents like Arliss Howard and Amy Madigan) create an immersive soundscape that makes the Bundren family’s grotesque pilgrimage feel startlingly immediate. When Dewey Dell’s chapters played through my AirPods during my morning commute, her internal monologue about pregnancy carried a visceral intimacy that silent reading couldn’t replicate.
“”Standout Performances in the Chorus””
The rotating narrators handle Faulkner’s challenging prose with remarkable nuance:
– “”Darl’s sections”” (voiced by Arliss Howard) capture both the character’s poetic insight and creeping instability
– “”Vardaman’s childlike perspective”” (rendered by Scott Sowers) makes his famous ‘My mother is a fish’ revelation land with heartbreaking simplicity
– “”Addie’s singular chapter”” (performed by Lili Taylor) arrives like a thunderclap at the narrative’s midpoint
“”The Cultural Impact of Hearing Faulkner””
This audiobook made me reflect on my BookTok series about how audio adaptations reveal new textual dimensions. Just as my audience discovered new layers in ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ through the narrator’s vocal choices, hearing these competing Southern voices adds:
– New awareness of class distinctions through vocal timbres
– Heightened tension in the river crossing sequence
– Dark humor that often gets overlooked in silent reading
“”Technical Notes for Audio Purists””
The production quality maintains Random House Audio’s high standards, though the shifting narrators create slight inconsistencies in:
– Ambient noise levels between recordings
– Pronunciation of certain Southern dialect words
– Pacing during transitional sections
“”Who This Audiobook Is For””
Perfect for:
– Faulkner newcomers intimidated by his dense prose
– Southern Gothic enthusiasts craving atmospheric immersion
– Writers studying narrative perspective
– Commuters who want intellectually stimulating content
Less ideal for:
– Listeners who prefer linear, single-POV stories
– Those sensitive to depictions of death and decay
– People seeking light entertainment
“”Final Verdict””
This multi-voice production doesn’t just recite Faulkner’s text – it resurrects the humid, fly-buzzing world of Yoknapatawpha County in a way that feels urgently contemporary. The various narrators turn what could be an academic exercise into a gripping audio drama that holds surprising relevance for our era of fragmented narratives and competing truths.
Keep listening boldly,
Sophie Bennett
(Find me debating literary audio adaptations @SophieAnalyzes on BookTok)
