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Amadis of Gaul

Gelesen von LibriVox Volunteers

(4,423 Sterne; 13 Bewertungen)

Amadis of Gaul (Amadís de Gaula, in Spanish) was not the first, but certainly one of the best known knight-errantry tales of the 16th century. Not only is its authorship doubtful, but even the language in which it was first written - Portuguese or Spanish. It is imagined to have been composed in the 14th century, but the known first printed edition came to light in Zaragoza in 1508, and the oldest extant version is in Spanish.

The plot is the story of the brave knight Amadis, and starts with the forbidden love of his parents and his secret birth, followed by his abandonment near water. He is found and raised as the son of a knight. Upon reaching adulthood, he goes in a quest for his own identity, and investigates his origins through fantastic adventures: plenty of wizards, princesses, damsels in distress and other knights people the world of Amadis.

Amadis of Gaul, together with Palmerin of England and Tirante the White, are the only books saved from the fire by Quixote's curate, when purging the knight's library: Tirante, for its quaintness; Palmerin, because he thought it had been written by the king himself; and Amadis, for being the best of its kind. Even if Cervante's praise works more as censure, it's a fact that Amadis represents the style as no other, and was the father of a numerous flock, becoming a landmark work among the knight-errantry tales and marking the story of European literature. (Summary by Leni)

Dedicated Proof-Listeners: Miss Stav, Becky Cook, & Rapunzelina (29 hr 17 min)

Chapters

00 - Preface

35:58

Read by Leni

01 - Book 1, Chapters 1 - 2

16:44

Read by Amy Gramour

02 - Book 1, Chapters 3 - 4

24:03

Read by Amy Gramour

03 - Book 1, Chapters 5 - 6

22:18

Read by Amy Gramour

04 - Book 1, Chapters 7 - 9

25:17

Read by Amy Gramour

05 - Book 1, Chapters 10 - 11

16:44

Read by Amy Gramour

06 - Book 1, Chapters 12 - 13

35:26

Read by Mark F. Smith

07 - Book 1, Chapters 14 - 16

31:30

Read by Amy Gramour

08 - Book 1, Chapters 17 - 18

21:48

Read by Amy Gramour

09 - Book 1, Chapters 19 - 21

34:12

Read by Nick Vega

10 - Book 1, Chapters 22 - 24

26:44

Read by Amy Gramour

11 - Book 1, Chapters 25 - 29

38:19

Read by Miramontes

12 - Book 1, Chapters 30 - 33

24:29

Read by Amy Gramour

13 - Book 1, Chapters 34 - 35

37:04

Read by Martin Gradwell

14 - Book 1, Chapters 36 - 37

21:52

Read by Luigina

15 - Book 1, Chapters 38 - 40

24:13

Read by Anna Simon

16 - Book 1, Chapters 41 - 42

23:55

Read by Ted Garvin

17 - Book 1, Chapters 43 - 44

34:35

Read by Ted Garvin

18 - Book 2, Chapters 1 - 3

34:03

Read by Ted Garvin

19 - Book 2, Chapters 4 - 5

14:17

Read by Ted Garvin

20 - Book 2, Chapters 6 - 7

28:30

Read by James K. White

21 - Book 2, Chapters 8 - 9

28:35

Read by James K. White

22 - Book 2, Chapters 10 - 11

21:29

Read by Amy Gramour

23 - Book 2, Chapters 12 - 13

39:54

Read by Ted Garvin

24 - Book 2, Chapters 14 - 15

37:27

Read by mlcui

25 - Book 2, Chapter 16

27:23

Read by Grant Hurlock

26 - Book 2, Chapters 17 - 18

39:40

Read by Grant Hurlock

27 - Book 2, Chapter 19

40:51

Read by Grant Hurlock

28 - Book 2, Chapter 20

26:23

Read by Grant Hurlock

29 - Book 2, Chapter 21

23:46

Read by Amy Gramour

30 - Book 2, Chapter 22

31:38

Read by Anna Simon

31 - Book 3, Chapter 1

31:23

Read by Anna Simon

32 - Book 3, Chapter 2

24:53

Read by Anna Simon

33 - Book 3, Chapter 3

22:40

Read by Anna Simon

34 - Book 3, Chapter 4

20:17

Read by Anna Simon

35 - Book 3, Chapter 5

39:39

Read by Anna Simon

36 - Book 3, Chapter 6

32:51

Read by Amy Gramour

37 - Book 3, Chapter 7

30:53

Read by Anna Simon

38 - Book 3, Chapters 8 - 9

31:58

Read by Anna Simon

39 - Book 3, Chapter 10

31:21

Read by Grant Hurlock

40 - Book 3, Chapter 11

30:19

Read by Grant Hurlock

41 - Book 3, Chapter 12

27:32

Read by Grant Hurlock

42 - Book 3, Chapter 13

23:28

Read by mlcui

43 - Book 3, Chapter 14

17:22

Read by Amy Gramour

44 - Book 3, Chapter 15

24:41

Read by mlcui

45 - Book 3, Chapter 16

20:08

Read by mlcui

46 - Book 3, Chapter 17

31:30

Read by Anna Simon

47 - Book 3, Chapter 18

14:06

Read by Amy Gramour

48 - Book 4, Chapters 1 - 5

34:27

Read by Margaret Espaillat

49 - Book 4, Chapters 6 - 12

31:05

Read by Anna Simon

50 - Book 4, Chapters 13 - 15

34:57

Read by Anna Simon

51 - Book 4, Chapters 16 - 18

28:55

Read by Anna Simon

52 - Book 4, Chapters 19 - 24

36:48

Read by Anna Simon

53 - Book 4, Chapters 25 - 27

22:49

Read by Anna Simon

54 - Book 4, Chapter 28

20:38

Read by Anna Simon

55 - Book 4, Chapters 29 - 30

33:20

Read by bala

56 - Book 4, Chapters 31 - 33

33:07

Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015)

57 - Book 4, Chapters 34 - 35

23:46

Read by bala

58 - Book 4, Chapter 36

37:55

Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015)

59 - Book 4, Chapters 37 - 40

34:50

Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015)

60 - Book 4, Chapter 41

17:03

Read by Anna Simon

61 - Book 4, Chapters 42 - 44

23:48

Read by Anna Simon

Bewertungen

Better than Arthurian legend

(5 Sterne)

Lancelot and King Arthur might be more famous, but Amadis is a more likable protagonist. His achievements are epic, and they aren't overshadowed by moral failures. Amadis is like Superman, not merely invincible in combat, but also faithful to his vows despite adversity and dilemas. His habit of adopting pseudonyms and acting incognito truly resembles the modern superhero trope.

Difficult, but worth it

(5 Sterne)

It is a quest to read this book, but it is rewarding. There are great adventures, well written characters, griping plots, and much more. It is a hard read to modern ears, but if you let these tales into your life you will not regret it