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The Dawn Watch
- Joseph Conrad in a Global World
- Narrated by: Laurel Lekfow
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
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Publisher's summary
“Enlightening, compassionate, superb” (John Le Carré)
Winner of the 2018 Cundhill History Prize.
A New York Times Book Review notable book of 2017.
One of the New York Times 100 notable books of 2017.
A visionary exploration of the life and times of Joseph Conrad, his turbulent age of globalization, and our own, from one of the most exciting young historians writing today.
Migration, terrorism, the tensions between global capitalism and nationalism, and a communications revolution: These forces shaped Joseph Conrad's destiny at the dawn of the 20th century. In this brilliant new interpretation of one of the great voices in modern literature, Maya Jasanoff reveals Conrad as a prophet of globalization. As an immigrant from Poland to England, and in travels from Malaya to Congo to the Caribbean, Conrad navigated an interconnected world and captured it in a literary oeuvre of extraordinary depth. His life story delivers a history of globalization from the inside out and reflects powerfully on the aspirations and challenges of the modern world.
Joseph Conrad was born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in 1857, to Polish parents in the Russian Empire. At 16 he left the landlocked heart of Europe to become a sailor and for the next 20 years travelled the world's oceans before settling permanently in England as an author. He saw the surging, competitive "new imperialism" that planted a flag in almost every populated part of the globe. He got a close look, too, at the places "beyond the end of telegraph cables and mail-boat lines", and the hypocrisy of the West's most cherished ideals.
In a compelling blend of history, biography, and travelogue, Maya Jasanoff follows Conrad's routes and the stories of his four greatest works - The Secret Agent, Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness, and Nostromo. Genre-bending, intellectually thrilling, and deeply humane, The Dawn Watch embarks on a spellbinding expedition into the dark heart of Conrad's world - and through it to our own.
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Critic reviews
"Fascinating…[Conrad’s] art, which he defined as the capacity to make readers hear, feel and see, as able to capture the contradictions within empires and the resistance to them. This is the Conrad who comes alive in Jasanoff’s masterful study. The Dawn Watch will become a creative companion to all students of his work. It has made me want to re-establish connections with the Conrad whose written sentences once inspired in me the same joy as a musical phrase.” (Ngugi wa Thiong’o, The New York Times Book Review)
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- Nantucket Island and Its People, 1602-1890
- By: Nathaniel Philbrick
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In his first book of history, Away Off Shore, New York Times best-selling author Nathaniel Philbrick reveals the people and the stories behind what was once the whaling capital of the world. Beyond its charm, quaint local traditions, and whaling yarns, Philbrick explores the origins of Nantucket in this comprehensive history. From the English settlers who thought they were purchasing a "Native American ghost town" but actually found a fully realized society, the story of Nantucket is a truly unique chapter of American history.
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There once were some (wo)men in Nantucket...
- By Darwin8u on 02-03-19
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The Sugar King of Havana
- The Rise and Fall of Julio Lobo, Cuba's Last Tycoon
- By: John Paul Rathbone
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Fifty years after the Cuban revolution, the legendary wealth of the sugar magnate Julio Lobo remains emblematic of a certain way of life that came to an abrupt end when Fidel Castro marched into Havana. Known in his day as the King of Sugar, Lobo was for decades the most powerful force in the world sugar market, controlling vast swaths of the island's sugar interests.
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VERY INFORMATIVE
- By Terry on 03-26-12
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Wolf of the Deep
- Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama
- By: Stephen Fox
- Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In July 1862, Confederate Captain Raphael Semmes took command of a secret new warship. At the helm of the Alabama, he became the most hated and feared man along the Union coast, as well as a Confederate legend. Now, with unparalleled authority, depth, and a vivid sense of the excitement and danger of the time, Stephen Fox describes Captain Semmes's remarkable wartime exploits.
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Wolf of the Deep
- By Sammi on 08-18-07
By: Stephen Fox
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The Ambulance Drivers
- Hemingway, Dos Passos, and a Friendship Made and Lost in War
- By: James McGrath Morris
- Narrated by: Dean Temple
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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After meeting for the first time on the front lines of World War I, two aspiring writers forge an intense 20-year friendship and write some of America's greatest novels, giving voice to a "lost generation" shaken by war. Eager to find his way in life and words, John Dos Passos first witnessed the horror of trench warfare in France as a volunteer ambulance driver retrieving the dead and seriously wounded from the front line. Later in the war, he briefly met another young writer, Ernest Hemingway, who was just arriving for his service in the ambulance corps.
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Morris always delivers interesting biographies...
- By NMwritergal on 04-08-17
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The Novel of the Century
- The Extraordinary Adventure of Les Misérables
- By: David Bellos
- Narrated by: David Bellos
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Putting a century of scholarship on one of the world's most enduring popular novels into accessible, narrative form, this new approach to a classic of world literature is written for a wide general audience. Packed full of information about the book's origins and later career on stage and screen, The Novel of the Century brings to life the extraordinary story of how Victor Hugo managed to write his novel of the downtrodden despite a revolution, a coup d'etat, and political exile.
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how hard to write a book
- By James Grohs on 08-06-24
By: David Bellos
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River of the Gods
- Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile
- By: Candice Millard
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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For millennia the location of the Nile River’s headwaters was shrouded in mystery. In the 19th century, there was a frenzy of interest in ancient Egypt. At the same time, European powers sent off waves of explorations intended to map the unknown corners of the globe—and extend their colonial empires.
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Good book by Millard, narrator ruined it
- By Tally D Lykins on 05-25-22
By: Candice Millard
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The Age of Gold
- The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream
- By: H.W. Brands
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill on the American River, it completely transformed the territory of California. Hundreds of thousands of people sped to California by any means possible, and small cities sprung up to service their needs as they sought the precious metal. By 1850, California had become a state; it had also become a symbol of where the nation was going.
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Very Enjoyable
- By Claire on 01-15-04
By: H.W. Brands
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The War Lovers
- Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898
- By: Evan Thomas
- Narrated by: Richard Davidson
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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On February 15, 1898, the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor. Although there was no evidence that the Spanish were responsible, yellow newspapers such as William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal whipped Americans into frenzy by claiming that Spain's "secret infernal machine" had destroyed the battleship. Soon after, the blandly handsome and easily influenced President McKinley declared war, sending troops not only to Cuba but also to the Philippines.
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A Rather Poor History
- By Paul C. White on 08-17-10
By: Evan Thomas
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The Island at the Center of the World
- The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America
- By: Russell Shorto
- Narrated by: Russell Shorto
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In a landmark work of history, Russell Shorto presents astonishing information on the founding of our nation and reveals in riveting detail the crucial role of the Dutch in making America what it is today.
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Incomplete history, but fun. Performance is poor.
- By Matthew on 11-27-18
By: Russell Shorto
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The President and the Assassin
- McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century
- By: Scott Miller
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1901, as America tallied its gains from a period of unprecedented imperial expansion, an assassin's bullet shattered the nation's confidence. The shocking murder of President William McKinley threw into stark relief the emerging new world order of what would come to be known as the American Century.
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An Ideal History Book for the Audio Format
- By Nelson Alexander on 09-30-11
By: Scott Miller
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Into Africa
- The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone
- By: Martin Dugard
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" So goes the signature introduction of New York Herald star journalist Henry Morton Stanley to renowned explorer Dr. David Livingstone, who had been missing for six years in the wilds of Africa. Into Africa ushers us into the meeting of these remarkable men. In 1866, when Livingstone journeyed into the heart of the African continent in search of the Nile's source, the land was rough, unknown to Europeans, and inhabited by man-eating tribes.
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Riveting
- By Gene on 04-01-04
By: Martin Dugard
What listeners say about The Dawn Watch
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- D2
- 12-28-17
Eyeopening biography of interest to Conradians and history lovers
Starts off a bit slow, but when the author leaves the first person pronouns behind and turns to Conrad the book quickly picks up steam (a bad metaphor for those who have read the book). The links that the author establishes between Conrad’s major works and the source material from which he drew were mostly new to me, and I will reread Nostromo, Heart of Darkness, The Secret Agent, and Lord Jim with a new appreciation. Well done, indeed. Great job by the reader, too.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Adam Connor
- 12-08-21
Mostly good
The beginning was slow, and, inevitably, the end of his life was a little less interesting, but I am glad to have read it. The middle two-thirds was riveting.
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- Elizabeth
- 11-29-17
Poor Narration Mars Excellent Book
What made the experience of listening to The Dawn Watch the most enjoyable?
Excellent biography of fascinating subject.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Conrad himself, of course.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Laurel Lekfow?
Many narrators would have been better than Laurel Lekfow. She is amateurish and not suited to the subject, and her reading is marred by mispronunciation of words such as "executor" and "ensign."
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No. The failings of the narrator actually made it painful to listen to.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Lucky
- 10-15-19
Oh, the narrator!
Just the wrong pairing of book and reader. I wanted so much to like this, but I agree with another reviewer - the narrator made this a painful listen.
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2 people found this helpful
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- christian p. nix
- 09-18-20
a fantastic account the brilliant writer.
This book gave me a lot of insight into the man himself. For so enigmatic a writer, it was striking and its depth and revelation. It makes me want to run off to sea
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- J. H. Robinson
- 09-25-21
Intriguing listen
An intriguing book about a fascinating pillar of late 19th/early 20th century literature. Picked it up on sale and it was worth a sale price. A few of the narrator's pronunciations are slightly off, but the overall flow of things is great and the author mercifully resisted the urge to turn the book into a travelog of following in Conrad's footsteps except at the beginning and end, which is acceptable.
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- Rini
- 03-24-24
Informative and entertaining
Years ago as a graduate student I immersed myself in the works of Joseph Conrad. The Dawn Watch illustrates that time in Conrad’s world is time well spent.
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- Darwin8u
- 01-13-18
History is like therapy for the present
"History is like therapy for the present: it makes it talk about its parents."
- Maya Jasanoff, The Dawn Watch
I should admit I was attracted to the book, while browsing at Las Vegas' fantastic bookstore Writers Block by four things: 1. the art (done by the Bill Bragg), 2. the le Carré blurb (if you don't know, late le Carré has a heavy Conrad flavor, 3. Conrad himself. I've read about 2/3 of what he has produced and love him more with every word, 4. the concept of Conrad as the dawn watch of globalization, and perhaps even modernity. The book was brisk, interesting, and filled with enough Conrad prose to almost dance. Jasanoff's writing is meant more for the New York Times Magazine crowd than the academic crowd, but if you enjoy Conrad this book will not disappoint. It isn't brilliant history or biography, but she manages to blend the edges of history, biography, and literary analysis and keep all three balls afloat. No easy feat. She is also able to thread the needle between cutting Conrad too much slack and too little for his views. Also, no easy feat.
For me Conrad is one of the great writers of the late 19th, early 20th century. He enchants and haunts at the same time. He is a fascinating character, but more than that, he is a damn fine complicated writer. Jasanoff explores Conrad's world, and in this exploration, she attempts to show us another way to view our own. "In all his writing", says Jasanoff, "Conrad grappled with the ramifications of living in a global world: the moral and material impact of dislocation, the tension and opportunity of multiethnic societies, the disruption wrought by technological change." Conrad understood us before there really was an us. Conrad saw us before the sun had even risen on the 20th and 21st centuries.
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16 people found this helpful
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- PennWriter
- 11-25-17
Disappointing account of JC's ties to history
If you know nothing about the origins of the Panama Canal, the Belgian Congo or other leading events of the late 19th- early 20th century -- you may find this book fascinating. Author's account of Conrad's early life in Poland and England are also worth reading. But too much of The Dawn Watch is a predictable rehash of familiar historical patterns of a century ago. Narration is also lackluster; often failing to slow down or emphasize key points. Lefkow also butchers Spanish language words in Latin American chapters. Would it hurt to use narrators who know, at least, how to pronounce key foreign words in these books?
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7 people found this helpful
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- Joseph Keiffer
- 04-21-22
Some enlightenment at last!
I have been chipping away at Conrad’s work for over 40 years and while I always enjoy the writing - and especially the people and places - I have never been confident that I understood what the works are really about. All I hoped from Jasanoff’s book was to get the basics of Conrad’s biography, but her biography offers explanations of what were Conrad’s motivating concerns - even obsessions. Now I can grasp how the writer of “The Secret Agent” could also be the author of “The Heart of Darkness”. I believe that I am a lot closer to “getting it” than before reading “The Dawn Watch”.
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1 person found this helpful