The Prisoner of Zenda

Anthony Hope

Jan 2018 · Blackstone Audio Inc. · Narrated by James Wilby

About this audiobook

This swashbuckling romance transports a droll young English gentleman from his comfortable life in London to a fast-moving adventure in a mythical country steeped in political intrigue. Rudolf Rassendyll, pondering his life's purpose, sets out on a journey to the tiny European kingdom of Ruritania, where he discovers that he bears a marked physical resemblance to the king. Perils and adventures ensue when he decides to impersonate the king in order to defeat a plot to dethrone him, and falls deeply in love with the king's betrothed, Princess Flavia.With its witty hero and shrewd villains, The Prisoner of Zenda became an instant classic when it appeared in 1894 and has been made into a film five times since.

About the author

Anthony Hope (1863-1933), a thirty-year-old barrister, wrote The Prisoner of Zenda in 1893. His mythical Ruritania, with its witty hero and shrewd villains, became so popular that he gave up his law practice after the book's publication.

James Wilby starred as Senator James Dorr in the Masterpiece Theatre production of Island at War. In film, he can be seen in Gosford Park, Howards End, and De-Lovely.