Showing results by narrator "B.J. Harrison" in All Categories

The infamous Baron Munchausen is capable of everything and anything. Escaping from a hungry lion’s jaws, shooting a male red deer with cherry stones or climbing a beanstalk all the way to the moon are but a small part of his adventures. Every new one is more surprising and exciting than the previous one. If you want to learn more about Baron Munchausen, do not hesitate to embark on this journey. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

Holroyd is an unpleasant man who is in charge of a power station supporting an underground electric railway. Azuma-zi is a stranger who arrives from the East and soon finds a job at this power station. Holroyd starts to pick on Azuma-zi, lecturing him against religion and describing the dynamo as the only god. Soon enough, Azuma-zi begins to worship the dynamo, with disastrous consequences. H. G. Wells’ short story "The Lord of the Dynamos" describes a clash of cultures in a hard, industrial setting.

B.J. Harrison reads the classic by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. Martin Avdeitch is a devoted shoemaker, who works in his basement and meets sorrow in life. His family has died, except for one son. When he faces a crisis, he turns to God to look for an answer to his hardships and find meaning in his life again. The short story "Where Love Is, God Is" from the late 19th century has been adapted to television, including the award-winning television film Winter Thaw (2016) starring John Rhys-Davies. B. J.

Gregor Samsa is a travelling salesman who wakes up one morning to realize that he been transformed from a human being to a "monstrous vermin". He reflects back on his life, his work, his relationship with his family and his employer, and he realizes that each relationship he has been a part of has been fake. He feels responsible for his family but he does not receive any gratitude from them. The alienation is unbearable and irreversible. His life will either have to change drastically or he will stay victim of his own existential anxiety.

H. Rider Haggard's 19th-century novel "Allan Quatermain," is the sequel to the novel "King Solomon's Mines"(1885). In this novel, adventurer Allan Quaterman's son has passed away and Quatermain longs to get back into the wild. From the eastern coast of Africa, he and a party of comrades arrive in the hostile territory of the Maasai and eventually make their way to a sacred lake of the Zu-Vendis. Although they are not welcome, the lake is ruled by two queens who take a great liking to the party.

"Tobin’s Palm" is a story about a young man named Tobin whose love Katie has disappeared. He did everything he could to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen. Heartbroken, Tobin falls into despair. His friend Jawn shows up and force Tobin to head out into to get some fresh air. But what they stumble upon there is not what Jawn or Tobin had expected. "The Ransom of Red Chief" is a short story with a twist ending about two criminals, named Bill and Sam.

"In newspaper-land a dull lie is seldom detected, but an interesting exaggeration drives an unimaginative rival to hysterical denunciations." When a British politician pushes through a law that will allow political refugees to be sent back to their countries of origin, he becomes the target of the Four Just Men - a group of vigilantes who set out to the punish the people who consider themselves above the law.

B. J. Harrison brings us yet another classic from the master of humor, P. G. Wodehouse. Our narrator is a sociable dog who goes by the name of Mixer. One day, he is hit by a car, and out steps Peter. The boy takes a liking to the dog and renames him Fido, taking him into his house. Soon enough, Fido becomes increasingly worried that his new owner will get tired of him and jeopardize his new and happy life. This short story dating back to the early 20th century is not short on surprising, humorous twists. B. J.

The narrator in the story has just came back from a wedding, but he wants to take us to a Christmas party that he was at several years ago and where he witnessed how big of a difference there is between the social classes. He saw how the rich people’s children received expensive gifts while one poor boy, the son of the governess, received only a book without covers. The narrator observed something else too: children do not build relationships based on wealth. They are pure and free from prejudices - until the society changes them.

Antoine Breguet is an old watchmaker who wants to retire. One of his two apprentices is going to take his place, but which one? Who is better qualified and who will impress the watchmaker’s granddaughter more? The two men are ready to compete. Whoever comes up with the best, most exquisite and intricate creation will inherit Breguet's shop. However friendship and love stand in the way. What will happen with the two friends and their future as watchmakers? Find out in Lydia Child’s "The Rival Mechanicians". B. J.

In "Ayesha, The Return of She" (1905) the white queen is feared not to be dead after all. After eighteen years, Horace and Leo once again set out on a journey, this time to Asia, where they encounter Ayesha's reincarnation. What follows is a love story and a tragedy of gigantic proportions. H. Rider Haggard's story is a sequel to his widely popular novel "She" and part of the Ayesha series. The series has inspired countless film adaptations, including the 1935 film version She starring Helen Gahagan, based loosely on the books. B. J.

Joel Hetman Jr. is summoned home because his mother was found dead. The only thing his father saw was an unknown man fleeing their home. The murderer was never found and the crime case turned to a mystery. One night Joel and his father were walking down a moonlit road when suddenly the father saw a pale figure. Was it a ghost or was he going crazy? Joel will finally find out what happened to his mother. "The Moonlit Road" by Ambrose Bierce holds all the answers.

Goodman Brown is a young man who leads a normal and peaceful life with his wife Faith. However one evening, he leaves his wife and heads out to the forest. He has to run an unknown and urgent errand. There, he meets an old man who strangely resembles Brown a lot. Together, they walk deeper in the woods and suddenly Brown hears Faith’s voice coming from an unknown direction. He runs angrily through the forest when he stumbles upon a strange ceremony. Goodman Brown’s adventure through the woods is a symbol for his journey into self-scrutiny.

An Adjutant-crane, a jackal and a giant crocodile are talking by the river, under a newly built railway bridge. The crocodile remembers the good old days, when he used to catch and devour the villagers as they tried to pass through a ford. He also remembers a boat sailing down the river, on which was a white child whom the crocodile tried to catch, but got shot with a revolver instead. Soon the reptile falls asleep, when two men with riffles cross the bridge.

One day Krantz comes home to witness his wife being unfaithful to him. In a fit of anger he kills both his wife and her lover, who is also Krantz’s lord. Krantz fears the punishment he will surely receive, so he flees with his three children. His safe haven is the Hartz Mountains. There he meets a beautiful young lady who he marries shortly after. Their marriage however does not go as expected. The bride’s night-outs raise Krantz’s suspicions.

"I tell you there's nothing the public likes as much as convictions - they'll always follow a man who believes in his own ideas. And this book is just on the line of popular interest." Professor Linyard is a man of science. And when he writes a book to great acclaim in which he takes the side of religion, he fully expects the satire to be understood. But when it's taken at face value, he goes along with it to better provide for his family.

A governess is hired by a bachelor to take care of his nephew and niece. She has barely arrives at the house that she starts seeing ghosts and having other supernatural visions. She decides to share her frightening experience with the maid of the house, Mrs. Grose. The maid, however, is not surprised and tells the governess that the ghosts are those of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel.

Is there anyone more associated with a raven than the writer Edgar Allan Poe, the master of the macabre? His famous poem "The Raven", published in 1845, presents us with a speaking bird and numerous mythological references. Edgar Allan Poe's poetry is known for its dark romanticism, gothic tones and anti-heroes. A selection of these classics is now brought to life for the listener's enjoyment by the versatile sounds of B.J. Harrison. A fair warning: not for the faint hearted or seekers of happy endings. B. J.

Man against nature, Leiningen against ants. Leiningen, an owner of a plantation, gets one day warned that an army of ants is approaching his fields and that it would be smartest to leave. Leiningen is however not going to give up on his land without a fight. The ants arrive and a long and exhausting battle follows. The technology and the power of the human brain are on Leiningen’s side. However the ants have a numerical superiority.

Mr. Cave is an antique shop owner with some curious items in his collection. One of these if an extraordinary crystal egg, which he comes across one evening. Indeed, the egg seems to be a gateway to the planet Mars. This science fiction short story by H. G. Wells dating back to the late 19th century has inspired numerous other literary pieces, as well as radio and television adaptations. "The Crystal Egg" is considered to be a precursor to H. G. Wells' famous science fiction novel "The War of the Worlds" from 1898. B. J.