Start gifting
Libro.fm for Business
Start a membership, get two free audiobooks
Bookseller Created
Back to Basics
Celebrate indie bookstores with our limited-time sale!
Shop the sale
Send as gift
Add to Wish List
Almost ready!
In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.
Log in Create account
Shop the sale
In celebration of Independent Bookstore Day, shop our limited-time sale on bestselling audiobooks from April 22nd-28th. Don’t miss out—purchases support your local bookstore!
Shop nowNelson Algren Reading from The Man with the Golden Arm
From Great American Authors Read from Their Works, Volume 2
Narrator
Nelson Algren
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn more
Length
17 minutes
Language
English
Author Nelson Algren reads from his award-winning novel, The Man with the Golden Arm. The passage tells of Frankie Machine's wife, Sophie, who confined to a wheelchair since a drunk-driving accident caused by Frankie. The narration implies that Sophie's paralysis is psychological in origin, and is unconsciously used to keep Frankie with her. Frankie is in hiding, being sought by the police for murder. Sophie waits anxiously for his return, recalling their early love, and drifting in and out of fantasies that foreshadow the breakdown and mental institution that await her.
Algren planned the reading meticulously, arranging various sections from the novel to form a coherent whole.
Nelson Algren (1909–1981), now considered one of America’s finest novelists, was born in Detroit and lived most of his life in Chicago. His jobs included migrant worker, journalist, and medical worker. He is the author of five novels, including The Man with the Golden Arm, which was the winner of the first National Book Award.
Nelson Algren (1909–1981), now considered one of America’s finest novelists, was born in Detroit and lived most of his life in Chicago. His jobs included migrant worker, journalist, and medical worker. He is the author of five novels, including The Man with the Golden Arm, which was the winner of the first National Book Award.
Reviews
“This is a man writing and you should not read it if you cannot take a punch…Mr. Algren can hit with both hands and move around, and he will kill you if you are not awfully careful…Mr. Algren, boy, you are good.”
“A true novelist’s triumph.”
Expand reviews