Humor Classics

Nikolai Gogol was one of the first to use the technique of the grotesque. According to Viktor Shklovsky, Gogol's strange style of writing resembles the "ostranenie" technique of defamiliarization. His early works, such as Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, were influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing, Ukrainian culture and folklore. HOW THE TWO IVANS QUARRELLED: A fine pelisse has Ivan Ivanovitch! splendid! And what lambskin! deuce take it, what lambskin! blue-black with silver lights. I'll forfeit, I know not what, if you find any one else owning such a one.

American writer George William Curtis' short story "Titbottom's Spectacles" is a satirically humorous tale about a man who is bequeathed glasses which let him see people for who they really are—and the consequences thereof.

This motley crew of “Pickwickians” is led by Samuel Pickwick, the philosopher without any great ideas. He is joined by Tracy Tupman, the romantic who cannot hold down a relationship; Augustus Snodgrass, the poet who has never written poetry; and Nathaniel Winkle, the sportsman without any skill. Together, they encounter a series of misadventures that will leave listeners laughing out loud.

Barry Lyndon is a picaresque novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, first published as a serial in Fraser's Magazine in 1844, about a member of the Irish gentry trying to become a member of the English aristocracy. Thackeray, who based the novel on the life and exploits of the Anglo-Irish rake and fortune-hunter Andrew Robinson Stoney, later reissued it under the title The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. The novel is narrated by Lyndon himself, who functions as a quintessentially unreliable narrator.

Entranced by romantic tales of heroism and chivalry, Don Quixote—self-proclaimed knight errant—embarks on a delusional quest for fame and adventure. The eccentric Spanish country gentleman and his companion Sancho encounter an array of unforgettable characters and undertake some of the most famously foolhardy exploits in literature. Listeners will delight in following their chivalrous misadventures to right wrongs and punish evil in this timeless, laugh-out-loud tale.

The collected short stories of the great Victor Canning, originally written and published in the 1950s and 1960s—full of humor, charm, and in true fashion of classic crime writing. Canning’s heartwarming vignettes and clever mysteries take us from a Welsh valley to a far-off island and across the French countryside—introducing unforgettable characters and stories along the way.

An ebullient Mr Finchley is about to propose marriage to a lady he had rescued from mishap, when he is sent to Paris by his firm. There he manages to upset a boat, adopt a stray orphan, and get himself kidnapped. The fine tangle he gets into takes some unravelling! Only when eventually back in London does he complete the proposal of marriage that was interrupted at the start. This gentle comedy trilogy was a runaway best seller on first publication in the 1930s and retains a timeless appeal today.

"Do meu pai, recebi a melhor parte da minha herança.. O bom humor." E quem era o pai dele? O motorista da funerária! E o filho dele é tão disposto quanto o pai, adora passear pelo cemitério, que é cheio de histórias para contar.

Mark Twain beherrschte alle Spielarten des Humors: Komödie, Witz, Ironie, Sarkasmus; feinsinnige Beobachtung der menschlichen Komödie war ebenso sein Metier wie purer Slapstick. In dieser Sammlung von zehn meisterhaften Kurzgeschichten hören wir: "Ein türkisches Bad", "Wie ich ein landwirtschaftliches Blatt herausgab", "Beobachtung in Paris", "Käptn Jones erklärt die Bibel", "Ein Besuch des Niagara", "Wagnermusik", "Staatswirtschaft", "Ein toller Prozess", "Ein geheimnisvoller Besuch", "Zeitungswesen in Tennessee".

Mark Twain beherrschte alle Spielarten des Humors: Komödie, Witz, Ironie, Sarkasmus; feinsinnige Beobachtung der menschlichen Komödie war ebenso sein Metier wie purer Slapstick. In dieser Sammlung von zehn meisterhaften Kurzgeschichten hören wir: "Adams Tagebuch", "Wie Mark Twain in Newark angeführt wurde", "Die Eine Million Pfundnote", "Kandidatenfreuden", "Ein Zwiegespräch", "Prinzenverehrung", "Sonntagsheiligung in Deutschland", "Über frühreife Kinder", "Die Hunde von Konstantinopel", "Mehr Glück als Verstand".

Mark Twain beherrschte alle Spielarten des Humors: Komödie, Witz, Ironie, Sarkasmus; feinsinnige Beobachtung der menschlichen Komödie war ebenso sein Metier wie purer Slapstick. In dieser Sammlung von zehn meisterhaften Kurzgeschichten hören wir: "Einiges über Barbiere", "Ein Miniaturreich im Weltmeer", "Edward Jackson und Vanderbilt", "Berliner Eindrücke", "Kinderkrankheiten", "Mrs. McWilliams beim Gewitter", "Ein Tischgespräch", "Rezept für Schwarzwälder Geschichten", "Ein Landsmann", "Noch ein Landsmann".

Emmeline Lucas, known to all as "Lucia", and her husband, Peppino, acquire a second home in fashionable Brompton Square in London from a deceased Aunt. When they move there for the season, Lucia's 'subjects' in Riseholme seethe with envy and outrage that she has deserted them for more illustrious circles, where her snobbism and blatant ambition reach new heights.

The best of Twain's wit in 20 stories or anecdotes related to various critters, varmits, and such. Many of these are from his travels out west, including to Hawaii, in addition to a few found in in other titles and from his many newspaper articles.

La satira classica della rivoluzione russa di George Orwell è una parte intima della nostra cultura contemporanea, citata così spesso che tendiamo a dimenticare chi ha scritto le parole originali. È un resoconto della coraggiosa lotta che trasforma la fattoria terriera del signor Jones in fattoria degli animali, una società interamente democratica costruita sul credo che tutti gli animali sono creati uguali. Per intelligenza, i maiali Napoleone, Squealer e Palla di neve emergono come leader della nuova comunità in una sottile evoluzione che porta una insidiosa familiarità.

"Bertoldo, Bertoldino e Cacasenno" è la raccolta di tre popolarissimi racconti ("Le sottilissime astutie di Bertoldo", "Le piacevoli et ridicolose simplicità di Bertoldino" e "Novella di Cacasenno, figliuolo del semplice Bertoldino"), i primi due scritti da Giulio Cesare Croce e l'ultimo da Adriano Banchieri, pubblicata per la prima volta nel 1620. I racconti riprendono e rielaborano novelle antichissime, in particolare la medievale Disputa di Salomone con Marcolfo.

Having assumed the form of an American multimillionaire, Satan sets out on a tour through Europe in quest of amusement and adventure. He observes a panopoly of subversive and hypocritical behaviors, the abhorrent cruelty of men and the deceptive innocence of women. Within a short time, Prince of Hell finds himself outwitted, deceived, relieved of his millions, mocked and humiliated, and beaten by man by the use of his own devilish devices.

Goethes Faust und weitere seiner Gedichte hat Dieter Schneider in seine hessische Mundart übertragen. Beim Hören dieses Hörbuchs könnte man meinen Faust erst auf hessisch ist der wahre Pudels Kern.

"Lange keinen Champagner mehr getrunken" - das sollen die letzten Worte des russischen Dramatikers Anton Tschechow gewesen sein. Geboren 1860 in armen Verhältnissen, verfasste er während seines Medizinstudiums Kurzprosa für Zeitschriften, um für den Lebensunterhalt seiner Familie zu sorgen. Doch das Schreiben blieb kein bloßer Brotjob. Nach dem Studium schrieb er hauptberuflich. Heute gilt Tschechow als einer der Begründer der modernen Short Story. Die Humoresken und Satiren, pointensicher gelesen von Gert Westphal, geben einen wunderbaren Einblick in Tschechows Meisterdisziplin.

A story about an Demonic Angel in Heaven and an Angelic Demon in Hell. Damon always felt out of place in his surroundings and at his work. Most would consider it an ordinary problem but Damon was an angel working in Heaven. When Damon is redeployed to work on a mission on Earth, things start to become interesting. He is however dismayed to find out that he has been assigned as a shoulder Angel to the most boring man on Earth, Joe Smith.

Lenny Hodge and his supernatural team are once again called on by Terrifitemps (the temporary employment agency that secretly controls the world) to save the Earth from a dire fate! The sinister Grubnoids have appeared from deep beneath the surface of our world, ready to fulfill their destiny! The Grubnoids plan to recreate every television show ever broadcast, and they will use the entire population of Earth as their unwilling puppets! Will Lenny and his talented team save the day? Or will the entire population of our planet become part of a game show that never ends?