
audiobook
Set amid the bustling heart of a grand capital, a magnificent marble palace towers over its lively streets, its columns and arches echoing ancient Greece. Inside, the venerable Count von Wildström pores over two striking oil paintings, torn between admiration and the weight of his duty to protect and promote recognized art. His son Adelbert, fresh from university and eager to prove himself, bursts in with a mix of sarcasm and youthful confidence, challenging his father’s reverence for prestige and questioning the value of lesser‑known talent.
The dialogue crackles as the pair debate the worth of a modest landscape by the obscure painter David Wald versus a celebrated work by Professor H. Their clash of perspectives—old‑world aristocratic pride against emerging ambition—sets the stage for a broader exploration of faith, responsibility, and the surprising ways help can arrive. Listeners will be drawn into a vivid world where art, family, and moral choices intertwine, inviting reflection on how honest effort and unexpected guidance shape a young person’s path.
Language
fi
Duration
~2 hours (119K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2011-07-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1814–1882
A hugely prolific 19th-century German storyteller, he wrote adventure tales, historical fiction, and books for young readers that helped make him widely read in his time. His life also included work as a bookseller and publisher, which kept him close to the world of books from every angle.
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by Franz Hoffmann

by Franz Hoffmann

by Franz Hoffmann

by Franz Hoffmann

by Franz Hoffmann

by Franz Hoffmann

by Franz Hoffmann

by Franz Hoffmann