Grotesques and Fantasies


Lu par LibriVox Volunteers

(4.5 stars; 7 reviews)

A set of often funny, sometimes tragic stories by Israel Zangwill. Most famous for his scathingly accurate portrayals of the Jewish ghetto, these stories have a wider stage, poking fun at social conventions and society itself, both high and low. The real and the fantastic collide to produce a world uniquely Zangwill's.

These are the tales of figures as diverse as a pantomime dragon, an excellent butler, a man living his life in the wrong order and a Jewish maiden who knows exactly what she is worth. Well observed and original, the satire is biting and the wit sparkling.

Many of the stories in this volume are accompanied by excellent illustrations, which are well worth a look. They are available in the Gutenberg e-text.

The novella, King of Schnorrers, which began this collection when it appeared in print, has already been recorded separately. As such it is omitted from this collection, and only the shorter stories are included. (Summary by Lucy Perry) (6 hr 39 min)

Chapitres

Foreword 2:23 Lu par Mike Pelton
The Semi-Sentimental Dragon 23:27 Lu par Arie
An Honest Log-Roller 8:49 Lu par Mike Pelton
A Tragi-Comedy of Creeds 11:40 Lu par Mike Pelton
The Memory Clearing House 32:55 Lu par John Van Stan
Mated by a Waiter. Chapter I, Black and White 16:38 Lu par ToddHW
Mated by a Waiter. Chapter II, A Difficult Opening 21:34 Lu par ToddHW
Mated by a Waiter. Chapter III, The Queen Comes Into Play 16:39 Lu par ToddHW
Mated by a Waiter. Chapter IV, The Winning Move 10:02 Lu par ToddHW
The Principal Boy 33:47 Lu par Sandra Cullum
An Odd Life 27:06 Lu par Lynne T
Cheating the Gallows 28:59 Lu par Tim Quinn
Santa Claus 8:23 Lu par Greg Giordano
A Rose of the Ghetto 29:01 Lu par Lucy Perry
A Double-Barrelled Ghost 24:32 Lu par John Van Stan
Vagaries of a Viscount 16:11 Lu par Greg Giordano
The Queen's Triplets 25:33 Lu par Lucy Perry
A Successful Operation 10:06 Lu par Greg Giordano
Flutter-Duck. Chapter I, Flutter-Duck in Feather 13:09 Lu par Matthew Nerger
Flutter-Duck. Chapter II, A Migratory Bird 8:01 Lu par Matthew Nerger
Flutter-Duck. Chapter III, Flight 18:09 Lu par Matthew Nerger
Flutter-Duck. Chapter IV, Poor Flutter-Duck 12:03 Lu par Mike Pelton

Critiques

An Excellent Collection of Humorous Short Stories


(5 stars)

The title, Grotesques and Fantasies, could be misleading. But if you have read anything by Israel Zangwill, you know you are in for humorous stories. I thought this was a very good collection of his work. Well read by all.

I was not all that impressed


(3 stars)

I have read and listened to other works by this author, but this collection didn't really keep my interest. It was just okay, not remarkable. Reading was fine, no complaints.