There have been a multitude of versions in all possible formats of Herman Melville’s epic tale of man versus nature, Moby Dick, but an adaption launched this week possibly transcends all of them.
Moby Dick – Big Read is an audio reading of the novel which will see a day-by-day reading across the year of all 135 chapters, each by a different reader, who include celebrities like Stephen Fry, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Attenborough and Prime Minister David Cameron.
The brain-child of author Philip Hoare and artist Angela Cockayne following their work in the 2011 Peninsular Arts Whale Festival, the reading is a highlight of this year’s Plymouth International Book Festival. Although the reading is free to listen to and download, listeners are encouraged to donate to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) charity (even though Captain Ahab probably wouldn’t have approved!!)
We have several copies of the book in Library, along with a variety of critical works examining many of the enigmas the story produces, along with three of the film adaptations of the novel in our High Demand DVD collection, and a link to a free online version courtesy of Project Gutenberg.
You can follow the whale’s tale through the Big Read website here:
http://www.mobydickbigread.com/
Moby Dick image by skelet0njones, reproduced under CC License from Flickr.
