Public domain audiobook
Prisoner In Fairyland (The Book that 'Uncle Paul' Wrote)
In his earlier novel (audiobook available),The Education of Uncle Paul The Education of Uncle Paul, Algernon alludes to a book Uncle Paul wants to write someday. Well, here it is . . . . .
Successful London businessman, Henry Rogers, retires early intending to use his wealth to support good causes. He sets his confidential private secretary, Minx, to work up some good ideas while Henry goes on a well-deserved holiday to his childhood home, then to visit his cousin in Switzerland. There, in a rural village in the spectacular alps, with his cousin's rambunctious children, he recalls the surreal adventures he experienced as a child, and the power of imagination to soften the harsh realities of life. Interactions with the past, children, rural life, pets, the stars, and poetry provide Algernon a lens for examining human psychology and the roots of creativity, sharing his thoughts on the importance of dreams and fantasy to keep life enjoyable. A fanciful children's book? Mmmm, maybe, but not entirely. Published 1913.
NOTE: Jane Ann and Jinny are the same person.
Translation of the French poem in Chapter 1, provided by Sonia
Thoughts
Oh, those flights of fancy, their scattered flames,
Their red fierceness, or their vermilion agreement!
Like the stars piercing the clouds high up there,
They assembled on the unknown plain;
They rolled in space, like fires,
They ascended the mountain, illuminated the river
And threw their universal and new covering
From sea to sea, over the silent countries.
The world
(Summary by ~ Michele Fry)
Successful London businessman, Henry Rogers, retires early intending to use his wealth to support good causes. He sets his confidential private secretary, Minx, to work up some good ideas while Henry goes on a well-deserved holiday to his childhood home, then to visit his cousin in Switzerland. There, in a rural village in the spectacular alps, with his cousin's rambunctious children, he recalls the surreal adventures he experienced as a child, and the power of imagination to soften the harsh realities of life. Interactions with the past, children, rural life, pets, the stars, and poetry provide Algernon a lens for examining human psychology and the roots of creativity, sharing his thoughts on the importance of dreams and fantasy to keep life enjoyable. A fanciful children's book? Mmmm, maybe, but not entirely. Published 1913.
NOTE: Jane Ann and Jinny are the same person.
Translation of the French poem in Chapter 1, provided by Sonia
Thoughts
Oh, those flights of fancy, their scattered flames,
Their red fierceness, or their vermilion agreement!
Like the stars piercing the clouds high up there,
They assembled on the unknown plain;
They rolled in space, like fires,
They ascended the mountain, illuminated the river
And threw their universal and new covering
From sea to sea, over the silent countries.
The world
(Summary by ~ Michele Fry)
LibriVox recordings are public domain in the United States; copyright status may differ elsewhere.
Chapters
- Chapter 1
Chapter I
19:15 - Chapter 2
Chapter II
31:56 - Chapter 3
Chapter III
17:04 - Chapter 4
Chapter IV
17:39 - Chapter 5
Chapter V
39:10 - Chapter 6
Chapter VI
14:57 - Chapter 7
Chapter VII
29:28 - Chapter 8
Chapter VIII
20:29 - Chapter 9
Chapter IX
38:23 - Chapter 10
Chapter X
22:04 - Chapter 11
Chapter XI
19:29 - Chapter 12
Chapter XII
13:52 - Chapter 13
Chapter XIII
45:18 - Chapter 14
Chapter XIV
16:04 - Chapter 15
Chapter XV
34:00 - Chapter 16
Chapter XVI
25:10 - Chapter 17
Chapter XVII
28:07 - Chapter 18
Chapter XVIII
29:50 - Chapter 19
Chapter XIX
27:42 - Chapter 20
Chapter XX
30:44 - Chapter 21
Chapter XXI
07:39 - Chapter 22
Chapter XXII
35:40 - Chapter 23
Chapter XXIII
50:05 - Chapter 24
Chapter XXIV
38:56 - Chapter 25
Chapter XXV
29:14 - Chapter 26
Chapter XXVI
36:23 - Chapter 27
Chapter XXVII
26:16 - Chapter 28
Chapter XXVIII
34:20 - Chapter 29
Chapter XXIX
30:45 - Chapter 30
Chapter XXX
19:13 - Chapter 31
Chapter XXXI (includes a German poem)
30:06 - Chapter 32
Chapter XXXII
21:45 - Chapter 33
Chapter XXXIII
26:01 - Chapter 34
Chapter XXXIV
37:43