The Autobiography of Methuselah

audiobook

The Autobiography of Methuselah

by John Kendrick Bangs

EN·~2 hours·12 chapters

Chapters

12 total
1

The Autobiography of Methuselah

0:06
2

FOREWORD

15:38
3

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF METHUSELAH

0:02
4

CHAPTER I - I AM BORN AND NAMED

12:58
5

CHAPTER II - EARLY INFLUENCES

15:46
6

CHAPTER III - SOME REMINISCENCES OF ADAM

16:55
7

CHAPTER IV - GRANDMOTHER EVE

16:05
8

CHAPTER V - SOME NOTES ON CAIN AND ABEL

16:35
9

CHAPTER VI - HE CONFESSES TO BEING A POET

14:18
10

CHAPTER VII - THE INTERNATIONAL MARINE AND ZOO FLOTATION COMPANY

16:06

Description

A surprisingly candid voice greets listeners from a time before ink and paper existed. The narrator, a patriarch nearing his tenth century of life, explains that he etches his memories onto stone slabs with hammer and chisel—a labor‑intensive task made all the more arduous by creaking joints and gouty fingers. His purpose is simple: to give his great‑grandchildren a glimpse of the world he has witnessed, and perhaps to fill the idle hours of his twilight years.

In the opening act he recounts youthful pursuits that sound almost mythic—chasing extinct birds, tracking dinosaurs, and mastering primitive games of marbles and peg. He also shares moments of everyday family life, from lively Virginia Reel dances to quiet afternoons with his grandson’s sons. The tone is wry and reflective, offering a blend of ancient legend and ordinary humor that invites listeners to imagine a life stretched across epochs, told with the stubborn charm of a man who refuses to let time silence his story.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~2 hours (149K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Release date

2007-03-07

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

John Kendrick Bangs

John Kendrick Bangs

1862–1922

A witty American humorist and editor, he became best known for playful fantasy and satire that turned the afterlife into a stage for clever conversation. His stories mix lightness, literary jokes, and a surprisingly modern sense of comic imagination.

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