Suggest a "Staff Pick" for archive.org

[Availle]

Thank you Todd!

I think I already featured Zenobia... but it's good that there's a play that is not Shakespeare! While looking for the other African stuff last month, I found a surprising amount of books set in Egypt, so I'll probably won't need any filler this time.

However, if anybody knows of authors from Egypt/northern Africa/Arabia, I'm all ears!

[Kitty]

I see Devorah offered the World Story part already for last month, but you didn't use it, so maybe it would even fit better in here this time because it covers Egypt and Arabia a lot more than the rest of Africa: https://librivox.org/the-worlds-story-volume-iii-egypt-africa-and-arabia-by-eva-march-tappan/

An obvious thing to include maybe would be the Koran: https://librivox.org/the-holy-koran-by-koran/ if you want to include religion.

Then I know we finally finished an Arabic project, but I have no idea what it is about: https://librivox.org/tabai-al-istibdad-wa-masari-al-istibad-by-abd-al-rahman-al-kawakibi/

And for those who want to learn the language, here is a language course: https://librivox.org/arabic-language-learning-collection-vol-001-by-various/

For Egypt, there is this ancient Book of the Dead, quite famous I think: https://librivox.org/the-book-of-the-dead-by-e-a-wallis-budge/

Maybe I'll come up with some more later...

Sonia

[Piotrek81]

If we decide to include the ancient world, and religion, I propose: https://librivox.org/the-religion-of-ancient-egypt-by-william-matthew-flinders-petrie/

[mightyfelix]

The staff has picked for March, thanks for your many suggestions! Please have a look at this page for the current list. You can also check out our wiki page for a plain vanilla list that contains all the staff picks for this year plus the readers!

Well, I have to say that I'm thrilled and surprised to see my dramatic version of The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle on the list for this month. But, I'm sorry to say that the reason I was surprised is that Spidermonkey Island is located off the coast of South America, not Africa.

[Availle]

Well, it's a floating island....
it could have well "last been seen near Africa"...
and then floated very, very quickly over to South America...
like it was "on the float" from the Dr...

*cough*

I do my very best with these things, but if the summary isn't specific, I'll have to wing it...

[mightyfelix]

No criticism intended, I just thought you may want to know.

[Availle]

The staff has picked for April, thanks for your many suggestions! Please have a look at this page for the current list. You can also check out our wiki page for a plain vanilla list that contains all the staff picks for this year plus the readers!


This year, let's go on another world tour, which means, I'm looking for books written by authors of the respective continents / places or books and stories set there. All languages welcome!

It took me a bit to decide where to go next, but since we're alreay in Arabia, let's follow the Arabs into...

Southern Europe

By this I mean: Turkey, Greece, Albania, Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Plus the Mediterranean Islands, I guess, although I might make an extra leg about "the sea and its islands" or something.

Just as before, I would prefer books written by authors from these parts, and this time there should be plenty to choose from! Bonus points for authors from the smaller countries and extra bonus points for non-English books!

Especially welcome are suggestions of plays and poetry.

All languages welcome!

[Leni]

Not written by an author from there, but Gallipoli Diary read by Sue Anderson is a book I have listened to in 2010 and never forgot. And all the action happens in the Gallipoli Peninsula: https://librivox.org/gallipoli-diary-by-john-graham-gillam/

As to Portugal, a few suggestions in Portuguese :
- we have a great version of a Portuguese classic novel, Amor de Perdição, by Camilo Castelo Branco, read by a Portuguese woman: https://librivox.org/amor-de-perdicao-by-camilo-castelo-branco/
- Eça de Queirós is one of the most important prose writers of Portugal, we have by him both fiction (https://librivox.org/contos-by-jose-maria-de-eca-de-queiros/) and non-fiction (https://librivox.org/cartas-de-inglaterra-by-jose-maria-de-eca-de-queiros/).
-Some horror stories in Portuguese could be interesting too: https://librivox.org/contos-phantasticos-by-teofilo-braga/
- And finally, for some poetry, I think Camões sonnets could be of interest, we have two collections: https://librivox.org/sonetos-poemas-de-amor-by-luis-vaz-de-camoes/ and https://librivox.org/sonetos-poemas-filosoficos-de-luis-vaz-de-camoes/

[Availle]

Quite a bit to choose from, thank you Leni!

OH: Ancienct Greece/Rome is okay too

[Piotrek81]

OH: Ancienct Greece/Rome is okay too

How about Quo Vadis, then? https://librivox.org/quo-vadis-by-henryk-sienkiewicz/

[Availle]

Nice try!
But already picked in December 2011.

Have another go!

[Leni]

Quite a bit to choose from, thank you Leni!

OH: Ancienct Greece/Rome is okay too

OOOOH then there is a lot more. I suppose suggestions of poetry and plays give extra points too, so...

Todd has been busy with Roman plays recently. My favorite by Terence is The Mother in Law: https://librivox.org/hecyra-the-mother-in-law-by-terence/ but there are three others in the catalog by the same author.

Medea by Euripides, yes, anytime: https://librivox.org/medea-by-euripides/

As for poetry, Ovid's Heroides are always fun: https://librivox.org/heroides-by-ovid/. Lucan's Civil War has been completed not very long ago, so probably hasn't figured in any lists yet: https://librivox.org/pharsalia-dramatic-episodes-of-the-civil-wars-by-lucan/ With the bonus that he was born in Spain and wrote in Italy.

A bit weird, but fun, we have Lucretius' De Rerum Natura both in the original Latin and in English (two different translations in English): https://librivox.org/author/323?primary_key=323&search_category=author&search_page=1&search_form=get_results

Also in Latin and in English, Vergil's Eclogues - both versions have dramatic readings of the dialogues: https://librivox.org/eclogae-by-publius-vergilius-maro/ https://librivox.org/the-eclogues-by-publius-vergilius-maro/

Not play nor poetry, but... Maybe not the best timing (or maybe the best timing) to have Thucydides' Peloponesian War in the suggestions, with his picturesque description of the plague in Athens. We have that in English, in German and in the original Greek (except book 8 in Greek).

Also, we might want to highlight our first complete book in Catalan, cataloged less than a year ago, if it hasn't been highlighted yet: https://librivox.org/la-punyalada-novela-montanyenca-by-marian-vayreda/

[Availle]

The staff has picked for May, thanks for your suggestions! Please have a look at this page for the current list. You can also check out our wiki page for a plain vanilla list that contains all the staff picks for this year plus the readers!


This year, let's go on another world tour, which means, I'm looking for books written by authors of the respective continents / places or books and stories set there. All languages welcome!

For now, our path is clear, we'll move further north towards

Central Europe and the British Isles

That means we'll be talking about France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the BENELUX states, Ireland and Great Britain.

Just as before, I would prefer books written by authors from these parts, and this time there should be plenty to choose from! Bonus points for authors from the smaller countries and extra bonus points for non-English books!

Especially welcome are suggestions of plays and poetry.

All languages welcome!

[Availle]

So, the staff picks for May are out, and this time I ran into an interesting problem: Too many books in foreign languages.

I browsed the catalog for authors from Spain/Italy/Portugal and found enough for several staff picks. Slight problem: They all wrote in their mother tongue (obviously) and we don't have an English translation... I like originals in whatever language and I think it shows the breadth and depth of our catalogue, but at the same time, this is an English site, so it's probaby better not to have too many non-English only picks.

What is your view on this? Would you be put off if all the staff picks were in a language you don't understand?

[annise]

Considering the fact that most of our readers speak English and a large percentage of them only understand English - I do like it when non English projects have an English summary as well . I know we must annoy all those who speak their mother tongue and English perfectly but being able to read a summary does help educate us about non English authors and literature so I would be happy with those but less happy about too many of those without an English summary

Anne