Play Audiobook Sample
Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.03) - 373 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Isak Dinesen earned international fame for Seven Gothic Tales and Out of Africa, and other stories that skillfully combine elements of fable, social conflict, and psychological drama. She was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize. Yet the story of her life-her travels, affairs, and friendships-remains the greatest story of all. Christened with the name Karen, the moody, headstrong, youngest of three sisters was nicknamed "Tanne" for much of her childhood. She was determined to become an artist. After she married Baron Blixen, she was the mistress and landowner "Tania" to those she knew and loved in her new African home. Finally, it was with the name "Isak" meaning "one who laughs" that she became known to the world as a master storyteller. Each period of her life provided Dinesen with rich characters and horizons for her brilliant writing. Noted biographer and critic Judith Thurman draws on Isak Dinesen's letters, unpublished manuscripts, and family documents in this compelling biography. Winner of the National Book Award, Isak Dinesen gracefully reveals the connections between a remarkable woman's literary creations and her fascinating life.
Download and start listening now!
"Very good biography. It has to be both rewarding and challenging to write about someone who felt that her life was one big narrative project, and this was really well done and thorough -- you got a feeling for the sense of Dinesen's life, both her own and from those around her, not just the details and dates. Which is what I really want from a biography, and this one definitely captured her whole dramatic, messy essence."
— Lisa (4 out of 5 stars)
Isak Dinesen Listener Reviews
-
—
Mouse, 6/13/2021
-
" The best. Literary. Biography. EVER. "
— Sofia, 1/10/2014 -
" A full and hard life. A not easy, but rewarding reading. It is worth the effort "
— Jette, 12/23/2013 -
" I am in love with this woman. "
— Salvatore, 12/4/2013 -
" Story of living in Africa and Denmark. 2 world wars and syphilis. some parts boring, some parts good. "
— Tamara, 9/22/2013 -
" to be fair, i never got very far -- there was actually so much detail it sucked the life out of the story. it became so tedious, i gave up and put the book down (and not in my "to be picked up later" pile). "
— Theresa, 8/14/2013 -
" Well written book about the author behind the book "Out of Africa". Interesting to read what went on in her life to cuase motivation to write the book. She was an eccentric that was driven or held back (depending on how you look at it) by her battle with syphillis. Now to read "Out of Africa". "
— Laurie, 7/5/2012 -
" One of the best biographies I ever read. "
— Meg, 10/30/2011 -
" The Academy-Award-winning movie "Out of Africa" was based in part on this biography of Isak Dinesen/Karen "Tanne" von Blixen. "
— Beth, 3/25/2011 -
" I love Out of Africa (though I can't abide the movie), and have different feelings about her short stories. But as a reader, i think I prefer her life itself. There is more drama and heartbreak here than anything she later got on paper. Grim and magnificent. "
— Michael, 9/22/2010 -
" I actually read the hard cover, but I chose this edition because the cover is here and looks the same. "
— Lynne, 5/31/2010 -
" Una donna caparbia, che ha precorso i tempi. In parte egoista ed egocentrica, egualmente sensibile e sola. In un'Europa d'inizio secolo, incatenata alle convenzioni. Nella seconda parte della sua vita, dopo l'Africa di grandi emozioni e sconfitte, una scrittrice ineffabile. "
— S©aP, 2/24/2010 -
" I think I would enjoy a straight up biography better: this puts more focus on her writing... "
— Amanda, 12/25/2009 -
" to be fair, i never got very far -- there was actually so much detail it sucked the life out of the story. it became so tedious, i gave up and put the book down (and not in my "to be picked up later" pile). "
— Theresa, 8/16/2009 -
" I actually read the hard cover, but I chose this edition because the cover is here and looks the same. "
— Lynne, 1/13/2009 -
" The Academy-Award-winning movie "Out of Africa" was based in part on this biography of Isak Dinesen/Karen "Tanne" von Blixen. "
— Beth, 4/10/2008 -
" I am so facinated by Karen Blixin, who wrote under the pen name of Isak Dinesen. Sucha beautiful, adventurous and exodic life. Full of wonder and deep sorrow. <br/>I do admire strong female writers "
— Sally, 10/26/2007 -
" I love <em>Out of Africa</em> (though I can't abide the movie), and have different feelings about her short stories. But as a reader, i think I prefer her life itself. There is more drama and heartbreak here than anything she later got on paper. Grim and magnificent. "
— Michael, 7/8/2007
About Davina Porter
Davina Porter has been enthralling listeners for over twenty-five years with her ability to mine the psychological depths of the characters she reads and bring them convincingly to life. In 2006, she won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Female Narration and in 2004 for Best Inspirational Literature Narration. She has been honored as an AudioFile Golden Voice and has won nineteen AudioFile Earphones Awards. As an actress, she has appeared on stage at the Vineyard Playhouse and the Square One Theater, among others.