JURGEN

This revival of Cabell's 1919 erotic fantasy is well intended but uninspired. Cabell's picaresque of a pawnbroker who roams history seducing beautiful women was charged (and acquitted) for obscenity in its time but barely raises an eyebrow today. Its appeal is its peculiar brand of fantasy--and its distinctive double-entendre style. Robert Blumenfeld's reading is serviceable enough, but he never catches the rhythm or pitch of the narrative. His delivery seems disassociated from the text and is much too fast--like pages read over the wireless of a sinking ship. This novel is interesting for its place in the history of fantasy writing, and the criminal prosecution of fiction. But the true voice of JURGEN is yet to be heard. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2013]