September 23, 2012

Moby Dick: The Book I Always Meant To Read...

"Moby Dick is the great American novel. But it is also the great unread American novel", says the Moby Dick Big Read project. I have to admit that it's gone unread by me.

Everyone I graduated with knew, of course, that Moby Dick is about a great white whale and one man's obsessive hunt for it, but I don't think anyone actually read it. So how cool is it that, in an attempt to make the work more accessible to a modern audience, Big Read is releasing an audio chapter of Moby Dick a day - for free, easy download - read by the likes of Tilda Swinton. But it isn't only celebrities who were asked to read. One chapter is read by a fisherman, adding to a broad wealth of voices and characters livening up this literary tome.

I'm in love with this idea - bringing a great novel alive in a new way, and making it free for everyone to enjoy. Check it out!

Chapter 1: Loomings - Read by Tilda Swinton - http://mobydickbigread.com by The Moby-Dick Big Read