Audiobook · read by volunteers
Prince and the Pauper
Mark Twain (1835–1910)
Read by John Greenman · 20 chapters · 6 h 55
About the book
Two boys are born in London on the same day, one into a royal palace and one into the poorest corner of the city. Tom Canty, a pauper, dreams of princes and spends his days begging; Prince Edward lives in luxury and longs for a little freedom. When they meet by chance, they discover that they look alike, and a game of exchanging clothes becomes a life-changing swap. Suddenly the prince is out in the streets, treated as a beggar, while the pauper must learn to live in a court full of rules. Mark Twain turns this old story into a warm, funny and sharp tale about justice, kindness and the way a society judges people by their clothes. John Greenman reads the twenty chapters in just under seven hours.
Introduction
Mark Twain (1835-1910) is best known for Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, and The Prince and the Pauper was his first attempt at historical fiction. The book appeared at the very end of 1881 in some editions and in 1882 in others. It is set in 1547, the year Henry VIII died, and follows two boys who look identical: Tom Canty, a pauper who lives with his abusive father in Offal Court, and Prince Edward, the king's son.
Through a series of circumstances, the boys accidentally replace each other, and much of the humour comes from their inability to function in the world that is so familiar to the other. Tom proves to have considerable wisdom in his decisions, while Edward learns, at first hand, how harshly the law treats the poor. In many ways the book is a social satire, particularly strong in its condemnation of the inequality that existed in sixteenth-century England and, by implication, in Twain's own time.
The recording has 20 chapters and lasts about 6.9 hours. It is read by one LibriVox volunteer, John Greenman, and the first track covers three chapters of the book.
Why listen today? The story is a classic of adventure for young readers, but it also asks how much of our status is only costume. It is entertaining, moving and surprisingly timeless. The audio format suits the book well, because Twain's humour depends on timing and on the contrast between the grand language of the court and the rough speech of the streets. A chapter or two at a time is enough to feel the pull of the plot, and the plot keeps its momentum right to the last page.
Public domain
Mark Twain died in 1910: 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