Cup of Gold: A Life of Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, with Occasional Reference to History
About this audiobook
“There was no desire in him for a state or condition, no picture in his mind of the thing to be when he had followed his longing; but only a burning and a will overpowering to journey outward and outward after the earliest risen star.”
John Steinbeck’s first novel, and his only work of historical fiction, is loosely inspired by Sir Henry Morgan, the infamous pirate of the 1650s and 60s. Captain Morgan was a legendary and notorious man who struck terror into the hearts of men, in service of his personal ambitions. He has become obsessed with two thoughts: the beautiful and mysterious woman known as La Santa Roja, and to conquer Panama City (the titular Cup of Gold) away from Spain.
Unique in Steinbeck’s oeuvre, this swashbuckling tale is both a historical and fantastical retelling of the life of this legendary Welsh pirate.
Featuring an introduction written and read by Stefan Rudnicki
About the author
John Steinbeck (1902–1968) remains one of the quintessential writers of American literature. Born in Salinas, California, Steinbeck attended Stanford University before working at a series of mostly blue-collar jobs and embarking on his literary career. Profoundly committed to social progress, he used his writing to raise issues of labor exploitation and the plight of the common man, penning some of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century and winning such prestigious awards as the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. He received the Nobel Prize in 1962, “for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception.” He wrote more than twenty-five novels during his lifetime.
Stefan Rudnicki is a Grammy-winning audiobook producer and a multiaward-winning narrator, named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices.
