The Old Man and the Sea [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Ernest Hemingway (Author), Donald Sutherland (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

Hemingway's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic

The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal -- a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss. Written in 1952, this hugely successful novella confirmed his power and presence in the literary world and played a large part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for literature.

Ernest Hemingway did more to change the style of English prose than any other writer in the twentieth century, and for his efforts he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. Hemingway wrote in short, declarative sentences and was known for his tough, terse prose. Publication of The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms immediately established Ernest Hemingway as one of the greatest literary lights of the twentieth century. As part of the expatriate community in 1920s Paris, the former journalist and World War I ambulance driver began a career that lead to international fame. Hemingway was an aficionado of bullfighting and big-game hunting, and his main protagonists were always men and women of courage and conviction, who suffered unseen scars, both physical and emotional. He covered the Spanish Civil War, portraying it in fiction in his brilliant novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, and he subsequently covered World War II. His classic novella The Old Man and the Sea won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953. He died in 1961.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1899, Ernest Hemingway served in the Red Cross during World War I as an ambulance driver and was severely wounded in Italy. He moved to Paris in 1921, devoted himself to writing fiction, and soon became part of the expatriate community, along with Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, and Ford Madox Ford. He revolutionized American writing with his short, declarative sentences and terse prose. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954, and his classic novella The Old Man and the Sea won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953. Known for his larger-than-life personality and his passions for bullfighting, fishing, and big-game hunting, he died in Ketchum, Idaho, on July 2, 1961.

One of the most prolific and versatile of motion picture actors, Donald Sutherland has appeared in more than one hundred films, including Robert Altman's M.A.S.H., Robert Redford's Ordinary People, Alan Pakula's Klute, Fellini's Casanova, Pride & Prejudice, Cold Mountain, The Italian Job, and Six Degrees of Separation. Television credits include Commander in Chief, (Golden Globe Nom.) Human Trafficking, (Golden Globe Nom.) and Citizen X (Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award).

From AudioFile

Donald Sutherland's gentle and thoughtful reading of the 1952 classic is spot-on perfect. The tale concerns an old fisherman in a Cuban village who, after an especially bad fishing season, sets out in his skiff, determined to bring in a big fish. By noon, the old man hooks a great marlin, but the powerful fish drags the skiff out to sea for two days. Challenged by starvation, injury, a school of sharks, and this great, noble fish, the old man struggles to survive. Without even trying to put on an accent, Sutherland catches the cadence and intonation of Cuba as well as the weary determination of the old man. Longing, desperation, and hope flow from Sutherland's velvet lips like an ocean current. S.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2007 Audies Award Finalist © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743564367
• ISBN-13: 978-0743564366
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Books on CD > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Hemingway, Ernest
  • #28 in Books > Books on CD > Literature & Fiction > Classics

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A CLASSIC STORY COMPELLINGLY READ, May 17, 2006

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Old Man and the Sea (Audio CD)

While many claim that Spencer Tracy's portrayal of Santiago in the film of "The Old Man and the Sea" was the actor's finest performance, Hemingway deemed him to be totally unsuited for the role. Be that as it may, whether on film, in print or as an audio edition, the story stands as of the author's finest.

First published in a 1952 issue of Life magazine, the tale received almost immediate praise. Thus, while the author had originally intended it to be part of a larger work he then decided to publish it as a stand alone book. Some surmise that his inspiration for Santiago was Gregorio Fuentes, a Cuban fisherman hired by Hemingway to look after his boat. Others are equally adamant that Santiago represents everyman. Whatever the case, it is a rousing story undimmed by time.

Santiago, as many remember, is an unlucky fisherman - he has not had a nibble in 84 days. His luck is so poor that the parents of his young apprentice, Manolin, have forbidden the boy to accompany Santiago and instructed him to fish with someone else.

Telling Manolin that he will go farther out than he has before, where he will surely catch a fish, Santiago goes alone. He luck does indeed change and a fish takes his bait that he is sure is a marlin. An epic struggle begins.

If you have not read this Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning story , listen to it and discover wheat happens to Santiago and the enormous creature that he comes to respect enough to call "brother."

Hearing this landmark tale by Hemingway is pleasure in itself. Enjoyment is more than doubled when the narrator is acclaimed film, stage, and television actor Donald Sutherland. His voice is low, resonant; his diction distinct. He reads with sympathy and superb timing, especially when the huge fish first tugs at Santiago's line.

More than highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars throw away your self-help books, it's all right here, May 23, 2006

By 

R. C. Kopf "curtis kopf" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Old Man and the Sea (Audio CD)

call me a throwback, but this slender novel contains more wisdom than entire libraries of self-help books. hemingway tells the story of an old cuban fisherman on his most memorable trip with characteristic simplicity. the man's respect for the fish, courage and inner battle are a fitting finale to hemingway's career. there is more here about character and what life is about than a thousand self-help books.
i listened to the audio version and donald sutherland's performance is the best reading i've heard.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very descriptive and compelling. A must-read!!, October 5, 2008

By 

M. Mcginnis "Dude" (NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Old Man and the Sea (Audio CD)

Never in my life has a book been able to portray such detail using a such a simplistic style of writing. Hemingway writes in such a way that you feel you are on the skiff with Santiago as he is struggle with this great fish...his brother. The 127 pages in this book and the hour that it took to read it made me ponder my own tumultuous life experiences and how they made me grow as a person. Kudos Hemingway.