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The Short Reign of Pippin IV: A Fabrication Audiobook
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In his only work of political satire, The Short Reign of Pippin IV, John Steinbeck turns the French Revolution upside down as amateur astronomer Pippin Héristal is drafted to rule the unruly French. Steinbeck creates around the infamous Pippin the most hilarious royal court ever: Pippin’s wife, Queen Marie, who “might have taken her place at the bar of a very good restaurant”; his uncle, a man of dubious virtue; his glamour-struck daughter and her beau, the son of the so-called “egg king” of Petaluma, California; and a motley crew of courtiers and politicians, guards and gardeners. This edition includes an introduction by Robert Morsberger and Katharine Morsberger.
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“Pippin Héristal is peacefully enjoying life as an amateur astronomer when the French government suddenly decides it needs a king—and Pippin is the rightful heir to the throne. Narrator Jefferson Mays perfectly captures the dry wit of Steinbeck’s political satire. Mays relays Pippin’s stoicism as he dutifully accepts his role. Mays also portrays every character perfectly—from Pippin’s wife, Queen Marie, to his wayward daughter, Clotilde. As Pippin encounters his subjects, from aristocrat to peasant, Mays’ crisp, fast-paced speech and American accent accentuate the story’s humor. His perfect pronunciation of the few untranslated French words will be appreciated by French-speaking listeners. A delightful listen. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
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“Enchanting satirical comedy…Highly amusing…[and] entrancing.”
— Saturday Review
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
The Short Reign of Pippin IV Listener Reviews
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Colder68, 6/23/2024
About John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck (1902–1968) remains one of the quintessential writers of American literature. Born in Salinas, California, Steinbeck attended Stanford University before working at a series of mostly blue-collar jobs and embarking on his literary career. Profoundly committed to social progress, he used his writing to raise issues of labor exploitation and the plight of the common man, penning some of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century and winning such prestigious awards as the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. He received the Nobel Prize in 1962, “for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception.” He wrote more than twenty-five novels during his lifetime.
About Jefferson Mays
Jefferson Mays, an Earphones Awards-winning narrator, is also an award-winning theater and film actor. In 2004 he won a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, and a Theatre World Award for his solo Broadway performance in I Am My Own Wife, a Pulitzer Prize–winning play by Doug Wright. He holds a BA from Yale College and an MFA from University of California–San Diego.