Classic Irish Fiction

Irish Fairy Tales is a collection of 14 Irish stories, edited by W. B. Yeats. Originally published in 1892, this collection is beautifully narrated by John Dunleavy and includes Yeats' notes and his "Classification of Irish Fairies."

In the industrial heart of Victorian England–now Stoke-on-Trent–lonely Anna Tellwright is dominated by her miserly, bullying father and the strict Methodist community of Bursley. Inheriting a fortune does not free her from subjugation: every direction has an obstacle and Anna must choose between the ambitious Henry Mynors (duty) and the sensitive Willie Price (desire). Will she break free from society’s expectations or succumb to the life laid out for her? Bennett’s depiction of the Potteries brings to life a world of social pressures, moral dilemmas, and the struggle for personal freedom.

Tales from Shakespeare was written by Charles Lamb (1775-1834) and his sister Mary Lamb (1764-1847) in 1807 as a prose adaptation for children. Mary wrote most of the comedies, about 14 of the 20. One Voice Recordings presents for your entertainment stage and voice actor David Ian Davies portraying all the characters in this charming retelling of Much Ado About Nothing.

Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's best dramatist. His plays have been translated into every major language, and are the most performed ever. His work contains stunningly modern insight, witty jokes and soaring passion; it is an endless source of amazement and inspiration.

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories, written in the Middle English vernacular, supposedly told among a group of pilgrims traveling from London to Canterbury. Chaucer uses the form, possibly based on knowledge of Boccaccio’s Decameron gained on a visit to Italy in 1373, to provide a highly varied portrait of his society, both secular and religious. The journey of the pilgrims, unlike that of, say, Homer’s Odysseus or of Dante in the Divine Comedy, is relatively unimportant compared to the tales themselves, where Chaucer’s true interest lies.

Rainbow Valley was written in 1919 by L. M. Montgomery for the series that began with Anne of Green Gables. Anne and Gilbert's children are growing up! Their new friends, the Merediths, live in the Manse nearby. When the Merediths aren't playing in the graveyard or riding pigs through town, they meet up with the Blythes to play, fish, and study insects in Rainbow Valley!

A new re-interpretation of the classic mystical poetic work by the English poet and printmaker William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a must-listen for any serious literati or poet - as featured in the movie Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch, starring Johnny Depp.

A rare collection of vintage radio dramas from the renowned Ulster poet, plus bonus documentary Born in Belfast in 1907, Louis MacNeice wrote some of the most beautiful and best-loved poetry of the 20th century. But he was also one of the BBC’s most innovative writers and producers, scripting...

The mystery of the modern thriller pervades the twists in the plot of this remarkable Victorian novel about the disappearance of a young man and the lady who is haunted by more than one terrible secret.

Captain Stephen Sorrell returns from the First World War decorated with the Military Cross but unnerved by the conflict. His mercenary wife has deserted him for 'one of the fellows who stayed behind' and left him responsible for their son, Christopher. A promised position in an antique shop fails to materialise, and Sorrell faces poverty. Despite losing status, he takes a job as a hotel porter, cleaning shoes and carrying luggage. Thus begins the long climb to financial security.

Tom Jones is a splendid Hogarthian panorama of 18th-century English life and morals, encompassing both city and country, and comprising some of the greatest comic characters in British literature. First published in 1749, it was an instant success and has gone on to become a classic of its genre. Quite simply, there has never been anything like it.

Die Familie Bennet hat fünf Töchter. Eine Heirat mit einem möglichst begüterten Mann ist die einzige Karriere, die ihnen das Leben zu bieten hat. Leicht vorstellbar, dass es jede Menge Aufregung gibt, als zwei junge Männer von Vermögen in die Gegend ziehen. Schon bald macht Mr. Darcy, ein standesbewusster Gutsbesitzer, der munteren und geistvollen Elizabeth einen Heiratsantrag, den sie jedoch spontan ablehnt. Sein Freund Charles fühlt sich sehr zu Elizabeths älterer Schwester Jane hingezogen. Ein verwirrendes Spiel um leidenschaftliche Gefühle und Eifersucht beginnt.

A young Irish gangster is caught in a brutal dance between desire and loyalty Tony Ward is back in Dublin. After five years in England, where he fled after murdering a rival gang member, he returns to find that his mentor is dead and his best friend has gone straight. Keen to reestablish himself...

Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell's last novel, is regarded by many as her masterpiece. Molly Gibson is the daughter of the doctor in the small provincial town of Hollingford. Her widowed father marries a second time to give Molly the woman's presence he feels she lacks, but until the arrival of Cynthia, her dazzling stepsister, Molly finds her situation hard to accept. Intertwined with the story of the Gibsons is that of Squire Hamley and his two sons.

Gwendolen Harleth gambles her happiness when she marries a sadistic aristocrat for his money. Beautiful, neurotic, and self-centered, Gwendolen is trapped in an increasingly destructive relationship, and only her chance encounter with the idealistic Deronda seems to offer the hope of a brighter future. Deronda is searching for a vocation, and in embracing the Jewish cause he finds one that is both visionary and life-changing.

Conrad’s Lord Jim is the iconic story of a romantic young man and his struggle with guilt and self-loathing. The novel begins with Jim’s earlier life as a ship’s officer. He and the other crew members abandon an imperiled vessel and its passengers after a mysterious collision reveals a dangerous bulge below the water line. But the ship does not sink and Jim survives to face an official inquiry. He is stripped of his license and faces universal scorn and the reality of his own guilt.

Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread the undead curse. It then relates the epic battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

Ellenor, fille d'un riche attorney et Ralph, jeune avocat ambitieux, sont amis d'enfance. Peu à peu, leur amitié s'est transformée en un sentiment plus tendre. Ils s'éprennent l'un de l'autre et se fiancent. Et, tout à coup, une nuit de mai va bouleverser leur vie...

Funny, outrageous, sometimes touching, and perhaps a little bit naughty - in Queen Lucia, E. F. Benson has created not only a wonderful character study in Mrs. Lucas, but a whole village of memorable characters.

Fifteen-year-old Esperance Darbois, the only daughter of philosophy professor François Darbois, is determined to become a woman of the stage. But becoming an actress will sully the respectability of the Darbois family, damage her marriage prospects, and harm her father’s distinguished reputation.