тАЬWhich of us is happy in this world? Which of us has his desire? or, having it, is satisfied?тАЭ
Generally considered to be ThackerayтАЩs masterpiece, Vanity Fair is a resplendent social satire that exposes the greed and corruption raging in England during the turmoil of the Napoleonic wars. Subtitled A Novel without a Hero, it traces the changing fortunes of two unforgettable women: the scheming opportunist Becky SharpтАФone of literatureтАЩs most resourceful, engaging, and amoral heroinesтАФand her foil, the faithful but na├пve Amelia Sedley. Amid the swirl of LondonтАЩs posh ballrooms and affairs of love and war, their fortunes rise and fall. ThackerayтАЩs subversive, comic attack on the hypocrisy and тАЬdismal rogueryтАЭ of an avaricious world still resonates, more than 150 years later, with implications for our own times.
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811тАУ1863) was born and educated to be a gentleman but gambled away much of his fortune while at Cambridge. He trained as a lawyer before turning to journalism. He was a regular contributor to periodicals and magazines and Vanity Fair was serialised in Punch in 1847тАУ8.
Frederick Davidson (1932тАУ2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFileтАЩs Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.