Amadis of Gaul
Vasco De Lobeira
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Amadis of Gaul (Amadís de Gaula, in Spanish) was not the first, but certainly one of the best known knight-errantry tales of the 16th century. Not only is its authorship doubtful, but even the language in which it was first written - Portuguese or Spanish. It is imagined to have been composed in the 14th century, but the known first printed edition came to light in Zaragoza in 1508, and the oldest extant version is in Spanish.
The plot is the story of the brave knight Amadis, and starts with the forbidden love of his parents and his secret birth, followed by his abandonment near water. He is found and raised as the son of a knight. Upon reaching adulthood, he goes in a quest for his own identity, and investigates his origins through fantastic adventures: plenty of wizards, princesses, damsels in distress and other knights people the world of Amadis.
Amadis of Gaul, together with Palmerin of England and Tirante the White, are the only books saved from the fire by Quixote's curate, when purging the knight's library: Tirante, for its quaintness; Palmerin, because he thought it had been written by the king himself; and Amadis, for being the best of its kind. Even if Cervante's praise works more as censure, it's a fact that Amadis represents the style as no other, and was the father of a numerous flock, becoming a landmark work among the knight-errantry tales and marking the story of European literature. (Summary by Leni)
Dedicated Proof-Listeners: Miss Stav, Becky Cook, & Rapunzelina (29 hr 17 min)
Chapters
00 - Preface | 35:58 | Read by Leni |
01 - Book 1, Chapters 1 - 2 | 16:44 | Read by Amy Gramour |
02 - Book 1, Chapters 3 - 4 | 24:03 | Read by Amy Gramour |
03 - Book 1, Chapters 5 - 6 | 22:18 | Read by Amy Gramour |
04 - Book 1, Chapters 7 - 9 | 25:17 | Read by Amy Gramour |
05 - Book 1, Chapters 10 - 11 | 16:44 | Read by Amy Gramour |
06 - Book 1, Chapters 12 - 13 | 35:26 | Read by Mark F. Smith |
07 - Book 1, Chapters 14 - 16 | 31:30 | Read by Amy Gramour |
08 - Book 1, Chapters 17 - 18 | 21:48 | Read by Amy Gramour |
09 - Book 1, Chapters 19 - 21 | 34:12 | Read by Nick Vega |
10 - Book 1, Chapters 22 - 24 | 26:44 | Read by Amy Gramour |
11 - Book 1, Chapters 25 - 29 | 38:19 | Read by Miramontes |
12 - Book 1, Chapters 30 - 33 | 24:29 | Read by Amy Gramour |
13 - Book 1, Chapters 34 - 35 | 37:04 | Read by Martin Gradwell |
14 - Book 1, Chapters 36 - 37 | 21:52 | Read by Luigina |
15 - Book 1, Chapters 38 - 40 | 24:13 | Read by Anna Simon |
16 - Book 1, Chapters 41 - 42 | 23:55 | Read by Ted Garvin |
17 - Book 1, Chapters 43 - 44 | 34:35 | Read by Ted Garvin |
18 - Book 2, Chapters 1 - 3 | 34:03 | Read by Ted Garvin |
19 - Book 2, Chapters 4 - 5 | 14:17 | Read by Ted Garvin |
20 - Book 2, Chapters 6 - 7 | 28:30 | Read by James K. White |
21 - Book 2, Chapters 8 - 9 | 28:35 | Read by James K. White |
22 - Book 2, Chapters 10 - 11 | 21:29 | Read by Amy Gramour |
23 - Book 2, Chapters 12 - 13 | 39:54 | Read by Ted Garvin |
24 - Book 2, Chapters 14 - 15 | 37:27 | Read by mlcui |
25 - Book 2, Chapter 16 | 27:23 | Read by Grant Hurlock |
26 - Book 2, Chapters 17 - 18 | 39:40 | Read by Grant Hurlock |
27 - Book 2, Chapter 19 | 40:51 | Read by Grant Hurlock |
28 - Book 2, Chapter 20 | 26:23 | Read by Grant Hurlock |
29 - Book 2, Chapter 21 | 23:46 | Read by Amy Gramour |
30 - Book 2, Chapter 22 | 31:38 | Read by Anna Simon |
31 - Book 3, Chapter 1 | 31:23 | Read by Anna Simon |
32 - Book 3, Chapter 2 | 24:53 | Read by Anna Simon |
33 - Book 3, Chapter 3 | 22:40 | Read by Anna Simon |
34 - Book 3, Chapter 4 | 20:17 | Read by Anna Simon |
35 - Book 3, Chapter 5 | 39:39 | Read by Anna Simon |
36 - Book 3, Chapter 6 | 32:51 | Read by Amy Gramour |
37 - Book 3, Chapter 7 | 30:53 | Read by Anna Simon |
38 - Book 3, Chapters 8 - 9 | 31:58 | Read by Anna Simon |
39 - Book 3, Chapter 10 | 31:21 | Read by Grant Hurlock |
40 - Book 3, Chapter 11 | 30:19 | Read by Grant Hurlock |
41 - Book 3, Chapter 12 | 27:32 | Read by Grant Hurlock |
42 - Book 3, Chapter 13 | 23:28 | Read by mlcui |
43 - Book 3, Chapter 14 | 17:22 | Read by Amy Gramour |
44 - Book 3, Chapter 15 | 24:41 | Read by mlcui |
45 - Book 3, Chapter 16 | 20:08 | Read by mlcui |
46 - Book 3, Chapter 17 | 31:30 | Read by Anna Simon |
47 - Book 3, Chapter 18 | 14:06 | Read by Amy Gramour |
48 - Book 4, Chapters 1 - 5 | 34:27 | Read by Margaret Espaillat |
49 - Book 4, Chapters 6 - 12 | 31:05 | Read by Anna Simon |
50 - Book 4, Chapters 13 - 15 | 34:57 | Read by Anna Simon |
51 - Book 4, Chapters 16 - 18 | 28:55 | Read by Anna Simon |
52 - Book 4, Chapters 19 - 24 | 36:48 | Read by Anna Simon |
53 - Book 4, Chapters 25 - 27 | 22:49 | Read by Anna Simon |
54 - Book 4, Chapter 28 | 20:38 | Read by Anna Simon |
55 - Book 4, Chapters 29 - 30 | 33:20 | Read by bala |
56 - Book 4, Chapters 31 - 33 | 33:07 | Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015) |
57 - Book 4, Chapters 34 - 35 | 23:46 | Read by bala |
58 - Book 4, Chapter 36 | 37:55 | Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015) |
59 - Book 4, Chapters 37 - 40 | 34:50 | Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015) |
60 - Book 4, Chapter 41 | 17:03 | Read by Anna Simon |
61 - Book 4, Chapters 42 - 44 | 23:48 | Read by Anna Simon |
Reviews
Better than Arthurian legend
A LibriVox Listener
Lancelot and King Arthur might be more famous, but Amadis is a more likable protagonist. His achievements are epic, and they aren't overshadowed by moral failures. Amadis is like Superman, not merely invincible in combat, but also faithful to his vows despite adversity and dilemas. His habit of adopting pseudonyms and acting incognito truly resembles the modern superhero trope.
Difficult, but worth it
David Johnson
It is a quest to read this book, but it is rewarding. There are great adventures, well written characters, griping plots, and much more. It is a hard read to modern ears, but if you let these tales into your life you will not regret it