Risultati Editore "Audio Sommelier" in Mondiale

The Romans hated Pompey’s greedy father, Strabo, with a vengeance. Yet when Pompey rose in prominence, Plutarch notes that he developed the opposite character, and the Romans loved him for it. Pompey had many great accomplishments in his military and political life, but his legacy lies in forming the First Triumvirate with Crassus and Caesar. When the alliance eventually dissolved, and Pompey fled from Caesar to his death, the Roman world would never be the same.

When prompted to give a speech at his 67th birthday party, Mark Twain was at no loss for wit. Several notable individuals proceeded him, heaping compliments upon him, so Twain began his speech by saying, “You cannot talk on compliments; that is not a text. No modest person, and I was born one, can talk on compliments.” So instead, he proceeded to give compliments back to his notable friends who were in attendance.

Cabeza de Vaca left Spain to explore the New World on a 1527 expedition. He was second in command of nearly 600 men, but only he and three others survived the treacherous weather, exotic diseases, and attacking indigenous people. Cabeza de Vaca survived eight straight years of wandering through the America’s southwest by becoming a medicine man to the natives. In the events of this memoir, he recounts how he helped resuscitate a man, and suddenly “all over the land nothing else was spoken of.”

The Jamestown settlers imagined life in the New World would be flowing with abundance, but things were not as they expected. Not only were they agriculturally inexperienced, but they had bad luck negotiating with the natives and faced delays of their food shipments from England. In “The Starving Time”, Captain John Smith recounts the bleak conditions of the winter of 1609-10, including tales of people so desperate they resorted to cannibalism. It was a time of starvation indeed - of the colony’s 500 residents, only 60 lived till spring.

A master of wit and wry humor on the page, Mark Twain also gained acclaim as a speaker throughout his literary career. Twain delivered this address on theoretical morality vs. practical morality to the New Vagabonds Club of London. With his signature tongue-in-cheek humor, he tells the audience that the only way to learn practical morality is by committing immoral acts in order to “vaccinate” oneself against committing them in the future. Presented with anecdotes from his childhood, this Twain speech masterfully walks the line between light-hearted humor and biting truth.

Emmeline Pankhurst was to women’s suffrage in England what Susan B. Anthony was for the same cause in America. She gave this memorable speech while campaigning in the US. In it, she explains the root trouble women face when campaigning for their rights: “We women, in trying to make our case clear, always have to make as part of our argument, and urge upon men in our audience the fact - a very simple fact - that women are human beings.” Though she faced harsh criticism for her “militant” means of advocacy, she never backed down, and as a result, gained suffrage in her lifetime.

As the world changes, the antiquated restrictions foisted upon women do not prepare them for life in the modern world. Clarina Howard Nichols delivered this message at the Woman’s Right Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1851. As a journalist and women’s rights advocate, Nichols believed education was the most empowering gift for young girls, stating, “Educate your daughters for practical life, and you have endowed them better than if you had given them fortunes.” This speech serves as an important text in the canon of women’s writing.

After 20 years in public service, George Washington turned down a third term as president with this memorable farewell address. In it, he implores the American public to be united above all else, putting aside fervor for their political parties and state lines. He also warns against forming long-term partnerships with foreign nations. Originally this was a 32-page document that was read and distributed widely throughout America after its initial publication, and it deserves the same avid listenership today.

Septima Collis, a native of South Carolina, married Union general Charles H.T. Collis prior to the Civil War. She supported and accompanied her husband during the Civil War. This rendition is beautifully narrated by Suzi Woods.

A Defense of Calvinism is a classic text by Charles H. Spurgeon. This rendition is beautifully narrated by Bryan Nyman.