Audiobook · read by volunteers
Pilgrim's Progress
John Bunyan (1628–1688)
Read by Joy Chan · 24 chapters · 12 h 28
About the book
A man named Christian, burdened by a heavy load on his back, leaves the City of Destruction in search of the Celestial City. His road leads through the Slough of Despond, over the Hill Difficulty, past the Valley of the Shadow of Death and into the town of Vanity Fair, where he meets helpers and enemies with names like Faithful, Hopeful and Giant Despair. John Bunyan wrote this allegory in plain, strong English, and it has been read for more than three centuries as both an adventure and a guide for the inner life. This recording includes both parts of the book, the second following Christian's wife and children on their own journey, with scripture references read in the text. Joy Chan reads all twenty-four chapters in about twelve and a half hours, a long but absorbing companion for anyone who likes allegory and pilgrimage.
Introduction
John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English preacher and writer from a poor background who spent years in prison for preaching without official permission. Part 1 of The Pilgrim's Progress, published in 1678, was begun while he was imprisoned for conducting unauthorised religious services, and Part 2 followed in 1684. The recording includes both parts.
The book is an allegorical novel that describes a Christian's journey through life to reach heaven. It has been translated into more than a hundred languages, and for generations it was among the most widely read books in English after the Bible. Its power comes from the way Bunyan turns abstract ideas, such as doubt, temptation and perseverance, into places and people, so that the reader experiences a spiritual struggle as a story of travel and danger.
The audio version has 24 chapters, opens with the author's apology for his book, and runs for about 12.5 hours. It is read by one LibriVox volunteer, Joy Chan. The scripture references that Bunyan placed in the margins are read in the text, which gives the recording a distinctive flavour and lets listeners see how closely the story follows the Bible.
Why listen now? Bunyan's prose is direct and rhythmical, and the book's imagery has shaped English literature and everyday speech. It is also a window into the religious imagination of seventeenth-century England. Because the book moves from stage to stage, it is easy to listen to in sections, treating each chapter as one leg of the journey. The imagery will be familiar to anyone who has met phrases such as Vanity Fair or the Slough of Despond, and it is a pleasure to hear them in their original setting.
Public domain
John Bunyan died in 1688: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text