Billy Budd, Sailor: A Classic Tale of Innocence Betrayed on the High Seas » (Unabridged)

Listeners will be captivated by this moving tale of good versus evil through the life of winsome young sailor Billy Budd. Aboard a 1700s British warship, virtuous Billy is unfairly accused of treason by the villainous Master of Arms--a cold-blooded superior officer intent on Billy's destruction. Adapted from Herman Melville's famous novel and presented by Focus on the Family's Peabody Award–winning Radio Theatre team. Billy Budd will remind listeners of another man, perfectly just, who suffered and died a criminal's death.

Library Journal

Though it was not published until 1924, 33 years after Melville's death, Billy Budd, Sailor was instantly recognized as a minor masterpiece. This tale of a young sailor's ill-fated voyage on the HMS Indomitable during the Napoleonic Wars incorporates Melville's detailed knowledge of life on sailing ships with his typical concerns about innocence, guilt, and fate. Why does the otherwise exemplary master-at-arms John Claggart falsely accuse Billy Budd of plotting a mutiny? Why does the intelligent, sensitive Captain Vere respond to the resulting tragedy as he does? The story has also fascinated both Melville scholars and general readers because of the presentation of Billy as a Christ figure and because of the homoerotic overtones, even more pronounced than in Melville's masterpiece, Moby-Dick. William Roberts reads in a lusty, slightly stagy manner reminiscent of Alexander Scourby and Orson Welles-a style that takes some getting used to. The sea-themed musical interludes enhance the experience; recommended for all collections.-Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.