Season 2 Episode 17 "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" is a short story written by the acclaimed American author Ernest Hemingway. It was first published in 1936 in Cosmopolitan magazine and later included in Hemingway's collection of short stories titled "The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories." The story explores themes of courage, masculinity, and the complexities of relationships.The plot centers around Francis Macomber, a wealthy American man on a safari in Africa with his wife, Margot. Francis is initially portrayed as a weak and timid character, lacking in confidence and assertiveness. Margot, on the other hand, is depicted as a strong-willed and manipulative woman. As the safari unfolds, Francis seeks to overcome his fears and prove his bravery by hunting a lion.However, events take an unexpected turn when Francis confronts the lion and freezes in fear, prompting Margot to mock him openly. The incident leads to a profound shift in the dynamics of their marriage. Fueled by a mix of frustration, resentment, and newfound courage, Francis embarks on a journey to redefine himself and challenge the power dynamics within his relationship.The "NBC University Theater" was a radio program that aired from 1948 to 1951, presenting dramatic adaptations of classic works of literature, including novels, plays, and short stories.Books in Sound is a free podcast series that presents a collection of hundreds of the world’s greatest books through the magic of the performing arts.Different from audiobooks: Instead of having a single narrator read an audiobook, these performances have a full cast of actors, suitable background music, and special effects that help define the drama.Most presentations are from old time radio theater broadcasts that have been remastered to remove most of the hissing, clicking and volume fluctuations. Many of the presentations are from the 1930's and 1940's, so a significant amount of work went into the remastering process.Most presentations are about one hour, some are multiple hours, and some are abbreviated presentation that last about half an hour, making this series wonderful for bedtime stories, self-improvement by learning about literature, or simply as a very imaginative form of entertainment.The episodes are not sequential, but we do recommend listening to the complete collection starting with the first episode so that you can grow and benefit from the wide assortment of styles and content.For more information visit https://www.booksinsound.com

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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