Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave

Aphra Behn was the first woman writer in England to make a living by her pen, and her novel Oroonoko was the first work published in English to express sympathy for African slaves. Perhaps based partly on Behn's own experiences living in Surinam, the novel tells the tragic story of a noble slave, Oroonoko, and his love Imoinda. The work was an instant success and was adapted for the stage in 1695 (and more recently by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1999). Behn's work paved the way for women writers who came after her, as Virginia Woolf noted in a Room of One's Own (1928): "All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, ... for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds." (Summary by Elizabeth Klett) (2 hr 40 min)

Chapters

Chapter 01	17:04	Read by Elizabeth Klett
Chapter 02	14:03	Read by Elizabeth Klett
Chapter 03	17:27	Read by Elizabeth Klett
Chapter 04	13:39	Read by Elizabeth Klett
Chapter 05	14:36	Read by Elizabeth Klett
Chapter 06	19:45	Read by Elizabeth Klett
Chapter 07	13:39	Read by Elizabeth Klett
Chapter 08	19:14	Read by Elizabeth Klett
Chapter 09	14:15	Read by Elizabeth Klett
Chapter 10	16:30	Read by Elizabeth Klett

Reviews

(5 stars)

Jenmalfoy

This was beautiful, disgusting, and depressing. I love the reader so much, I've listened to several of her readings and she is the reason I got this app to begin with.

Excellent Reading; Devastating Story

(4 stars)

Livi

The reader did an excellent job. Her accent was spot on and soothing to listen to. I enjoyed how she captured the conversational style of Ms. Behn’s narration. As for the story itself, it was far more gruesome than I expected. I appreciate the portrayal of Oroonoko and his bravery; however, I feel that the author could’ve done more to critique slavery. But, that wasn’t the point of the story, so I don’t fault Ms. Behn too much.

beautifully read

(4 stars)

Bicberly

Honestly the only reason I chose this book is because the podcast Stuff You Missed in History Class produced an episode on Aphra Behn, and I was curious to read something by her. The story was a bit of a let down but it is short and masterfully read, so overall I'm happy to have experienced it and satisfied my curiosity.

moving story but what was reader thinking???

(3 stars)

A LibriVox Listener

important text but terribly disappointed reader opted to deliver in fake English accent. Why do readers do this? it was a great distraction from an important work of historical literature.