I celebrated the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth last year by revisiting Pride and Prejudice, which turned out to be a very enjoyable thing to do.

Recently, I saw that Audible was offering a dramatization of the story, directed by Lulu Raczka, and translated into German by Gillian Melton. It's often interesting to hear familiar books in other languages, and so it proved this time too.



The adaptation, starring Emilia Schuele and Aaron Altaras as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, stuck very closely to the text, and although a piece lasting four hours or so can never capture all the nuance of the original, this certainly did a good job of rendering its humour and irony. I was reminded all over again what a great story Austen gave us.

There's a very thorough review of the technical aspects here, and I'd definitely agree with the conclusion: "This adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is an audio drama production of rare cohesion. It remains faithful to the literary source material while lending it new brilliance through its handling of perspective, intimate dramatic structure, and a modern sonic approach. The cast delivers a consistently impressive performance, the technical production is excellent, and the music serves as an elegant thread weaving the narrative together."

I thought the soundscapes were very nicely done, giving us a great sense of space (that's down to the Dolby Atmos, apparently...). Ballrooms with voices and music and the rustle of fabric; creaking floorboards; clinking glasses -- you did feel you were in the room, as it were.


Haddon Hall, 2025. The site was used for the 2005 movie version of Pride and Prejudice, directed by Joe Wright

Ultimately, I'm a whole-text person. But occasionally, it's really worth taking in a good adaptation, for the sake of the fresh picture it can offer of a familiar work.