The Secret Life: Being the Book of a Heretic

audiobook

The Secret Life: Being the Book of a Heretic

by Elizabeth Bisland

EN·~5 hours·59 chapters

Chapters

59 total
1

Transcriber's Note

0:32
2

THE SECRET LIFE

0:37
3

June 21. L'Enfant Terrible.

6:24
4

July 7. An Optimistic Cynic.

3:53
5

July 20. A Poet Sheep-rancher.

2:38
6

September 4. An Eaten Cake.

3:14
7

September 12. Concerning Elbows on the Table.

1:37
8

October 14. An Autumn Impulse.

1:54
9

November 1. John-a'-Dreams.

24:03
10

November 6. The Fountain of Salmacis.

3:51

Description

A weary yet mischievous narrator confides in a private diary, using it as a sanctuary for thoughts too daring to utter aloud. He muses on the invisible tricks of midsummer night, the temptation to expose hidden sins, and the paradox of speaking truth in a world that pretends to see only what it wishes. Through a playful fable about a king, two cunning weavers, and an imagined robe visible only to the honest, he illustrates how societies cling to comforting illusions while denying their own blindness.

The memoir unfolds as a series of candid reflections, witty anecdotes, and sharp observations on the constraints of propriety. Readers are invited into the author’s “secret garden,” a space where conventional decorum is unbound and the honest voice, however fragile, finds a quiet audience on blank pages. The tone is both reflective and gently rebellious, offering a glimpse into the inner life of a self‑styled heretic who dares to question the accepted narratives of his time.

Details

Language

en

Duration

~5 hours (336K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Release date

2014-06-24

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

Subjects

About the author

Elizabeth Bisland

Elizabeth Bisland

1861–1929

A pioneering American journalist and travel writer, she became famous for her dramatic around-the-world race against Nellie Bly in 1889. Her work blends sharp observation, literary polish, and the adventurous spirit of a reporter willing to test the limits of her era.

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