AUDIOBOOK
About
Under Western Eyes, Conrad's novel of political treachery and oppression, begins with a bomb that kills a hated Russian minister of police, along with innocent bystanders. A young student named Razumov hides the perpetrator, then betrays him and becomes a spy among his exiled comrades. He faces a moral dilemma from which there is no escape. This masterwork, published six years before the Russian Revolution, is a chillingly accurate prophecy of what was to come.
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Reviews
"[Conrad] sees once and he sees forever…His novels are full of moments of vision…He could not write badly, one feels, to save his life."
Virginia Woolf
"One does not know what deserves more admiration: the amazing subject, the fitting together, the boldness of so difficult an undertaking, the patience in the development of the story, the complete understanding and exhausting of the subject."
André Gide
"David Horovitch's performance has a professorial quality that suits this novel well. It's the early 20th century, and Razumov, a Russian student, becomes a revolutionary, reluctantly turning to life as a spy. Horovitch's deep voice and regal phrasing make Conrad's complex syntax accessible to listeners. Themes of betrayal, identity, and freedom all take part in the development of the novel, and their timelessness will appeal to a varied audience. For some, Conrad's work is easier to absorb on the page, where it can be readily reexamined, but many will enjoy hearing his rich writing style come alive in this fine audiobook. Majestic and deliberate, Horovitch's delivery has a formality that commands attention. K.L.L. � AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine"
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