Friday, May 21, 2010

The Ball & the Cross

A recording of G. K. Chesterton's The Ball and the Cross is available at Librivox.org. Just click on the title of this post for the link.

I recorded the first three chapters and another reader completed the novel. I must confess that I am a bumbling amateur but it was a labor of love. The reader who completed the novel did a fine job and her sound quality is superior. So if you can barely make it through the beginning, just hang on!

The book is a great story of a Christian and an atheist who challenge each other to a duel, then become friends and try to convert each other as they travel through England trying to finish their chivalrous fight. The modern world keeps interfering because it doesn't believe in duels, because it doesn't believe there's anything worth dying for, especially religion. The story is a hoot!!

8 comments:

Sida said...

Hi Matthew

Just wanted to say, really love this book, and really enjoyed your reading of it!

Matt said...

Thanks so much Sida! I loved reading it. Now I'm listening to it and enjoying it again.

Have you read other works of Chesterton? If so, please share some of your favorites.

I have especially appreciated Manalive and the Club of Queer Trades and The Everlasting Man.

Sida said...

Hi Matt,

I have to say, listening to your recording, you can really tell that you were enjoying yourself!

I have not yet read Manalive, and I hadn't even heard of the Club of Queer Trades. I was in the middle of reading The Everlasting Man a few weeks ago when I was distracted by something... can't quite remember what, probably exams.

I thoroughly enjoyed Orthodoxy, though, and find myself flipping through it again and again. The thing I love most about Chesterton is his wit... I don't think you find authors like that today. Or do you? As you can see, I'm not particularly well read.

Matt said...

There aren't many authors like that today, which is what makes GKC so important and relevant.

Anonymous said...

I have been listening to the Librivox and wanted to know who recorded the book. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed the recording of the book. Jin

Matt said...

Thanks Jin. Keep listening to Chesterton!

Anne S. said...

Any chance you’d record the remainder of the chapters? I admit I got hooked on your adaptation and style and I am finding it hard to take to the new reader on chapter 4.

Anne S. said...

My email is now attached. Thank you for your reading!