Life is a Dream: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Life is a Dream, credited to Pedro Calderón de la Barca, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of Life is a Dream by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. (Translated by Edward FitzGerald.) Read in English by a full cast. Of all Calderon's works, "Life is a Dream" may be regarded as the most universal in its theme. It seeks to teach a lesson that may be learned from the philosophers and religious thinkers of many ages—that the world of our senses is a mere shadow, and that the only reality is to be found in the invisible and eternal. The story which forms its basis is Oriental in origin, and in the form of the legend of "Barlaam and Josaphat" was familiar in all the literatures of the Middle Ages. Combined with this in the plot is the tale of Abou Hassan from the "Arabian Nights," the main situations in which are turned to farcical purposes in the Induction to the Shakespearean "Taming of the Shrew." But with Calderon the theme is lifted altogether out of the atmosphere of comedy, and is worked up with poetic sentiment and a touch of mysticism into a symbolic drama of profound and universal philosophical significance. - Summary by The Translator We also have this in the original Spanish: https://librivox.org/la-vida-es-sueno-by-pedro-calderon-de-la-barca/ Cast list: Basilio, King of Poland: Algy Pug Segismund, his Son: Seaquill Astolfo, his Nephew: Matthew Reece Estrella, his Niece: Christine Clotaldo, a General in Basilio's Service: Alan Mapstone Rosaura, a Muscovite Lady: Availle Fife, her Attendant: Son of the Exiles Chamberlain: Andrew James Lord in Waiting: ToddHW Captain: ambsweet13 Soldier 1: ToddHW Soldier 2: Sonia Stage Directions: Adrian Stephens Editing: ToddHW

Recording facts

• Recording title: Life is a Dream
• Author credits: Pedro Calderón de la Barca
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 4
• Listed recording duration: 2:07:24

Catalogue topics

• duty
• shadow world
• play

Track guide

1. 01 - Act 1 — 45:46
2. 02 - Act 2 — 37:30
3. 03 - Act 3 — 32:44
4. 04 - Act 4 — 11:24

Listen to this recording

Open the complete recording and player on Internet Archive. The player includes the full track list and available download formats.

Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.