BARTLEBY, THE SCRIVENER

In the days before typewriters and copy machines, there were scriveners--people who meticulously copied documents for lawyers and businessmen. Golden Voice narrator Edoardo Ballerini captures the intelligent, genteel, and, finally, compassionate voice of the narrator of this classic story, who hires a quiet scrivener named Bartleby for his law firm. At first, all is well as Bartleby produces excellent work, but one day when he is assigned a task, Bartleby replies simply: "I would prefer not to." The listener is then led into Herman Mellville's fascinating examination of loneliness, abandonment, and depression in nineteenth-century society. With assurance and a fine ear for detail Ballerini delivers this sensitive, unsparing 1853 classic, which was first published in multiple parts--similar to today's podcasts. B.P. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2025]