The History of Mr Polly

by H. G. Wells Narrated by Simon Hester

Overview

"This is a history and not a glorification of Mr. Polly, and I tell of things as they were with him”

So writes H.G Wells towards the end of his story of Mr Polly and indeed the narrator's voice throughout the book leaves us altogether ambivalent about his protagonist.

The diminutive Everyman of the story is neither fully hero nor villain.

 

A book that, although gently humorous, gives us no facile answers to life's frustrations and conundrums, but leaves us with a fitting reflaction of our own often bewildering existence.

Narrated by Simon Hester and with original music.

Editorial Reviews

Michael Dirda

…a disturbing comic masterpiece…despite its perfectly innocuous title, The History of Mr. Polly is—long before Camus and Sartre ever wrote—a classic of radical existentialism, and, after 100 years, still amusing, unsettling and powerfully contemporary.
—The Washington Post

Library Journal

Though Wells's name conjures images of time travelers and Martian invaders, he wrote numerous other novels that were well received but since forgotten. This trio-two comedies and a drama-serve as perfect examples. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

From the Publisher

'The History of Mr Polly (1910) is a disturbing comic masterpiece . . . a more gently satirical and masculine counterpart to Flaubert's Madame Bovary . . . a classic of radical existentialism, and, after 100 years, still amusing, unsettling and powerfully contemporary '—Washington Post

Widely considered to be Wells's most perfectly-formed novel, this comic idyll is the story of a henpecked, unsuccessful, desperately frustrated small shopkeeper who bungles but survives a suicide-and-arson attempt, and becomes master of his fate under another identity—David Lodge, GUARDIAN

H.G. Wells is often cataloged as a pioneer of science fiction (which he was) . . . but he was also a great Edwardian writer of immense fame and influence who deserves to be remembered as a major literary figure—GUARDIAN

A delightful comedy of everyday Edwardian England that draws inspiration from its author's own life . . . The story - still strikingly modern - is a comedy about a midlife crisis . . . a comedy of ordinary, provincial life, rooted in the everyday, with countless brilliantly observed details . . . The History of Mr Polly has a special charm as a novel in which, for once, Wells became carefree and relaxed, and described the thing he could never find for himself - peace of mind—Robert McCrum, Guardian

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178652626
Publisher:	Head Stories Audio
Publication date:	05/13/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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