The Song of Roland - Unknown

Written by Unknown
Read by Full Cast
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Translator: D. D. R. Owen

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Release date: December 19, 2006
Duration: 02:56:21

This classic epic revolves around the battle between the Franks and the Moors in 778.
Though he has grown up in poverty in a cave in Italy, Roland is in fact descended from great heroes of old. Since his youth, his mother has taught him that someday he will be a brave hero like his father, Milon, and serve with the great army of his uncle, Charlemagne. When King Charlemagne comes to Italy, he rejoices to find his long-lost sister and nephew and gives them places of honor in his court. As Roland becomes a man and a knight, he embarks on a quest to the Far East and becomes the champion of the Princess of Cathay.

One of the great medieval “songs of great deeds,” this is a composite of several hero legends interlaced with Christian moral sentiments. A remarkable panorama of medieval life and thought, The Song of Roland truly reflects the spirit of the times.

“No member of this cast is a household name, but all of them demonstrate high-quality dramatic skills in the presentation of the twelfth-century epic French poem considered by many to be the first great piece of French literature. The narrator presents the poem, as a troubadour would have recited it at the time of its composition. The other actors read the document with clarity and verve. The poem tells of the valorous deeds of seventh-century French soldiers who fight Muslims. Because it portrays a battle, this audiobook contains graphic depictions of violence and is not for the faint of heart.” — AudioFile