The Satyricon: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

The Satyricon, credited to Gaius Petronius Arbiter, 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 The Satyricon by Gaius Petronius Arbiter. Read by LibriVox Volunteers Satyricon (or Satyrica) is a Latin work of fiction in a mixture of prose and poetry. It is believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as a certain Titus Petronius. As with the Metamorphoses of Apuleius, classical scholars often describe it as a "Roman novel", without necessarily implying continuity with the modern literary form. The surviving portions of the text detail the misadventures of the narrator, Encolpius, and his lover, a handsome sixteen-year-old boy named Giton. Throughout the novel, Encolpius has a hard time keeping his lover faithful to him as he is constantly being enticed away by others. Encolpius's friend Ascyltus (who seems to have previously been in a relationship with Encolpius) is another major character. It is a rare example of a Roman novel, the only other surviving example (quite different in style and plot) being Metamorphoses written by Lucius Apuleius. It is also extremely important evidence for the reconstruction of what everyday life must have been like for the lower classes during the early Roman Empire. (Summary taken from Wikipedia)

Recording facts

• Recording title: The Satyricon
• Author credits: Gaius Petronius Arbiter
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 20
• Listed recording duration: 7:56:03

Catalogue topics

• classics
• ancient texts
• satire
• Roman novel
• fiction
• prose
• poetry

Track guide

1. 00 - Preface and Introduction — 31:53
2. 01 - Vol 1 - Adventures of Encolpius and His Companions, Ch 1-10. — 20:01
3. 02 - Vol 1 - Adventures of Encolpius and His Companions, Ch 11. — 25:52
4. 03 - Vol 1 - Adventures of Encolpius and His Companions, Ch 12-19 — 18:01
5. 04 - Vol 1 - Adventures of Encolpius and His Companions, Ch 20-26 — 20:42
6. 05 - Vol 2 - The Dinner of Trimalchio, Ch 27-37 — 24:40
7. 06 - Vol 2 - The Dinner of Trimalchio, Ch 38-44 — 22:28
8. 07 - Vol 2 - The Dinner of Trimalchio, Ch 45-52 — 23:27
9. 08 - Vol 2 - The Dinner of Trimalchio, Ch 53-59 — 21:25
10. 09 - Vol 2 - The Dinner of Trimalchio, Ch 60-69 — 27:35
11. 10 - Vol 2 - The Dinner of Trimalchio, Ch 70-78 — 26:39
12. 11 - Vol 3 - The Further Adventures of Encolpius and His Companions, Ch 79-88 — 27:35
13. 12 - Vol 3 - The Further Adventures of Encolpius and His Companions, Ch 89-98 — 31:15
14. 13 - Vol 4 - Encolpius, Giton and Eumolpus Escape by Sea, Ch 99-105 — 18:19
15. 14 - Vol 4 - Encolpius, Giton and Eumolpus Escape by Sea, Ch 106-110 — 15:17
16. 15 - Vol 4 - Encolpius, Giton, and Eumolpus Escape by Sea, Ch 111-116 — 19:25
17. 16 - Vol 4 - Encolpius, Giton and Eumolpus Escape by Sea, Ch 117-124 — 37:02
18. 17 - Vol 5 - Affairs at Crotona, Ch 125-131 — 20:42
19. 18 - Vol 5 - Affairs at Crotona, Ch 132-137 — 23:25
20. 19 - Vol 5 - Affairs at Crotona, Ch 138-141 — 20:29

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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.