The Cabala, Thornton Wilder
The Cabala, Thornton Wilder
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The Cabala

Author: Thornton Wilder

Narrator: Tristan Morris

Unabridged: 5 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Caedmon

Published: 05/05/2020

Synopsis

""Thornton Wilder's 1926 debut novel probes the inscrutable mystery of the ancient, fabulous wealth that confers a kind of immortality on its custodians, allowing their natures to form without concession or compromise to life beyond their privileged enclave. . . . [It] established Wilder as one of the most accomplished stylists of his generation."" —The GuardianIn The Cabala, Samuele, an American student, spends a year in the fabulously decadent world of post World War I Rome. He experiences first-hand the waning days of a secret community—a “cabala” composed of decaying European royalty, eccentric expatriate Americans, even a great cardinal of the Roman Church. The vivid portraits he paints of these characters, whom he views as the vestigial representatives of the gods and goddesses of Ancient Rome, launched Wilder’s career as a celebrated storyteller and literary stylist.

About Thornton Wilder

THORNTON WILDER (1897–1975) is the only writer to win Pulitzer Prizes for both drama (Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth) and fiction (The Bridge of San Luis Rey). He collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock on Shadow of a Doubt, hiked the Alps with the heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney, received a Bronze Star for his service in World War II, and was credited with discovering Orson Welles. He was also a much-loved teacher, letter-writer (especially with Gertrude Stein), and public speaker—in four languages. Hello, Dolly! is based on his play The Matchmaker. Learn more about his extraordinary life and work at thorntonwilder.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ostap on October 13, 2021

This edition includes Wilder’s first and third novels, those that bookend ‘The Bridge of San Luis Rey’, the classic which launched him to fame. Like that novel, the settings are somewhat artificial; in ‘The Cabala’ it’s the old guard aristocratic society in Rome, which Wilder visited as a young man......more

Goodreads review by Pascale on August 15, 2023

"The Cabala" is definitely a young man's book, being semi-autobiographical and slightly over-written. That said, it is quite enjoyable as a variation on the theme of the American abroad. The narrator, later nicknamed "Samuele" by his Italian friends, is first introduced to Roman high society by a fe......more

Goodreads review by L. on July 05, 2024

It often happens that a reader will get a completely different message from the one the author originally intended, and there's nothing wrong with it in my almighty opinion. (BTW, I didn't read The Cabala part.) Set in ancient Greece, Chrysis is a strong, independent, educated woman with control over......more

Goodreads review by Russel on April 30, 2024

Wilder is a master of short fiction, a genius at setting a scene and giving the measure of a character in doses. I did not enjoy them as much as The Bridge, but The Cabala in particular was delightful......more

Goodreads review by J. Lee on March 06, 2013

It's one of Wilder's early novels, and it does come across pompous and it feels like Wilder was trying to impress us with his wit (lots of use of passive voice in this work) and he gets lost in trying to be clever. But, it does ring true about Wilder himself in the undercurrent and unstated bits if......more

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