Faust: Parts I & II

By: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Narrated by: Philippe Duquenoy

Faust has long been considered one of the most important works of European literature ever published. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe began writing Faust in the 1770s while still a young man, spending most of his adult life on the project. Faust was finally finished almost 50 years later, near the end of his life.

Faust is a philosophical drama full of humor, satire, and tragedy. In Part 1, the demon Mephistopheles makes a bet with God that he can lure Faust from the path of good. Faust is in the middle of a personal crisis when he is visited by the demon. Mephistopheles successfully lures Faust into putting his soul on the line for a chance at true happiness but the deal only leads to tragedy.

In Part 2, the tragedy has faded and Faust now finds himself on a new path of adventure as he strives to redeem himself and is eventually released from his evil pact with the demon.

Public Domain (P)2018 Take 2 Studios

Concise

Reader phrased well. Translator portrayed well. Author knew all was well. Faust went not to Hell. And the enemy is naught but a worthless fool who carves out attention from those foolish enough to believe themselves worthless.

CAUTION

did not realize this is a play. entire book in rhym. i want my money back...

english is to german...

...as great is to good when it comes to Faust. I expected some challenges with the German to English translation as Faust is a poetic work...and I could sense that this was not originally written in English. Seeing as I cannot read German, I have to admit that this translation did not disappoint - I really enjoyed it. As for the audiobook aspect of it - I was tempted to down the book less than 30mins into it and get a printed copy. It was difficult to follow. Then it dawned on me - Faust was not meant to be read, it was meant to be heard (seen actually - as a play). So hearing it grew on me. It is still difficult to follow and I had to strain my imagination but it was worth it.

Faust is a story that one should cover a couple of times. This was my first pass and I need at least another two to get out of it what I was hoping to. Part I sets the bar really high, and Part II frustrated me at times - but it combines in an epic tale without which Part I would be half-baked.

As for the narration - I think it was expertly done but for something as challenging as Faust, I expected a slightly more diversified reading style - perhaps multiple actors / narrators with different styles for Faust and Mephistopheles at least. I listen to many books at 1.5x or even 2x speed, but Faust is something that should be listened to at 0.75x or perhaps even 0.5x. I needed it slower with more deliberate pauses. There's a lot to take in, a lot to visualise and imagine, a lot to digest and for that the narration was a bit too challenging for me.

Wonderful Performance

After listening to the other samples I decided to give this version a shot. I was definitely not disappointed in the least bit as Mr. Duquenoy put on a masterful performance throughout the entire book. Another deciding factor, both parts of the poem/play are included in this version, many of the other books seem to only include the first part.

Simply Spectacular!!

Faust is one of those thought provoking classics that depicts how our actions have consequences. The narrator really did an incredible job in his performance of this book… his voice was a pleasure to listen to. Great book to add to your collection!