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The Life of Samuel Johnson

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The Life of Samuel Johnson

By: James Boswell
Narrated by: David Timson
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About this listen

Charming, vibrant, witty and edifying, The Life of Samuel Johnson is a work of great obsession and boundless reverence. The literary critic Samuel Johnson was 54 when he first encountered Boswell; the friendship that developed spawned one of the greatest biographies in the history of world literature.

The book is full of humorous anecdote and rich characterization, and paints a vivid picture of 18th-century London, peopled by prominent personalities of the time such as Sir Joshua Reynolds, John Wilkes, Oliver Goldsmith and David Garrick, while also giving a compelling insight into Johnson's complex humanity - his depression, fear of death, intellectual brilliance and rough humor.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2017 Naxos AudioBooks Art & Literature Authors Entertainment & Celebrities Europe European Great Britain Literary History & Criticism World Literature Celebrity England Comedy Witty Thought-Provoking Ireland

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All stars
Most relevant  
George Orwell said “Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.”

This biography suggests that the this is not the case for the 18th century as the society that Boswell and Johnson moved in was more polite, erudite and learned than ours.

The characters are beautifully brought to life by David Timson, while the story itself is gentle and moving.

Hugely enjoyable.

Brought to life by an excellent narrator

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Great listen, especially from when Boswell knows him personally. Narration really brought Johnson's great turns of phrase to life.

Fantastic narration

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At 51 hours this is a marathon. David Timson does a wonderful job, moving between Johnson's Lichfield-inflected voice, Boswell's Scottish, and a host of other voices, bringing to life the huge cast that peoples the Boswell/ Johnson world. His knows how to get a dramatic sense of immdiacy from Boswell's recollections. He brings to life an important era in the history of London--as does Boswell himself.

Triumphant marathon

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The narrator brings this to life excellently. No easy task as it is a biographer's account of various conversations from a different era. But the narrator does such a great job that you feel you are there and it's easy to follow.

Excellent narration

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Phenomenal reading and, as Thomas Carlyle said about this book, it brings back to life the long dead characters from the 18th Century. The only trouble with a 40 hour audio is you are lost. I want to find the bit when Johnson kicks that unlucky stone or his talk with the philosopher David Hume about a possible afterlife. Alas, I will have to carry on with listening to all the audio!

badly needs some kind of index

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This is not for everyone as 51 hours is a huge commitment of anyone's time but for those of us who like this sort of thing this is the sort of thing that we like, The narration is superb with Johnson being given a slight Midlands accent, Boswell with an Edinburgh accent and so on. It is difficult not to feel that you really know these men after so much time in their company. For those interested in the domestic history of the day this is fascinating for this aspect alone. We learn that Boswell could get from Edinburgh to London in 5 days or if he left London at 01.00 he could be in Lichfield for supper. The language of the day is surprisingly modern in feel being reported speech rather than dialogue from a novel. If you are prepared to put the time in this is excellent value for a credit.

Brilliant Biography!

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Step back in time - you enter their world and its rich and utterly beguiling. A wonderful experience

It’s like being in their company

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Until I'd listened to this audio book, I hadn't realised what an intelligent and skilful writer James Boswell was. He gives us a beautifully articulate insight into the life of Samuel Johnson and Eighteenth-Century Britain. The majority of the book is devoted to Johnson's middle-age and later life when Boswell knew him well and made extensive notes about their friendship and the conversations they had. He has done himself and Johnson proud and left a great legacy for them both.

There are other audio book versions of this book, but, believe me, none will surpass this one. The narrator, David Timson, gives an outstanding performance - the best I've ever heard in an audio book - skilfully interweaving a variety of accents whilst maintaining perfect fluency and diction. He gives Johnson a slight Brummie accent, but I can confirm, as someone who lives in Staffordshire, that those who live in the south of the county do speak that way. If there are awards for audio books and narrators, then this should be right up there with the very best.

A peerless biography

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It was not always easy to follow and, to modern ears, is exceedingly verbose and pompous, but, overall, it is a beautifully written and informative account of a unique friendship and a fascinating era.

A Detailed Biography of an Extraordinary Man

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A great book, a great performance. The book never lost steam from beginning to end. At the 40hr mark I began to lament its approaching end and I could wish that Boswell had given more of his great friend. I particularly relished Boswell's frequent accounts of his friend's deep piety and feel Boswell's choice to detail more of it as the book neared its close was perhaps the most fitting tribute to a fallen son of Adam grateful to have been lifted by grace.

Words fail...

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