Small Souls

Louis Couperus (1863 - 1923)
Translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos (1865 - 1921)

Constance van der Welcke returns to the Hague and the bosom of her family after a twenty year exile caused by a marital indiscretion and divorce from the Dutch ambassador to Rome. Wanting only to be accepted into the family circle again, Constance and her husband Henri find they are the target of gossip that pulls the family apart. As the facade of the family circle begins to crack, the psychological foibles of the brothers and sisters begin to reveal themselves. Small Souls is the first of four novels that make up the quartet known as 'The Books of the Small Souls', the master work of the foremost author of modern Dutch literature, Louis Couperus. Although the 'The Books of the Small Souls' remain popular in the Netherlands, Alexander Teixeira de Mattos' excellent English translation has long been out of print. (Summary by Philip Benson).

De Kleine Zielen

Genre(s): Literary Fiction

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Translator's Note Phil Benson
00:02:50
Play 01 Chapter 1 Phil Benson
00:14:03
Play 02 Chapter 2 Phil Benson
00:31:04
Play 03 Chapter 3 Phil Benson
00:11:31
Play 04 Chapter 4 Phil Benson
00:28:19
Play 05 Chapter 5 Phil Benson
00:26:39
Play 06 Chapter 6 Phil Benson
00:08:56
Play 07 Chapter 7 Phil Benson
00:16:02
Play 08 Chapter 8 Phil Benson
00:08:25
Play 09 Chapter 9 Phil Benson
00:06:23
Play 10 Chapter 10 Phil Benson
00:22:52
Play 11 Chapter 11 Phil Benson
00:16:46
Play 12 Chapter 12 Phil Benson
00:07:55
Play 13 Chapter 13 Phil Benson
00:10:01
Play 14 Chapter 14 Phil Benson
00:19:17
Play 15 Chapter 15 Phil Benson
00:33:18
Play 16 Chapter 16 Phil Benson
00:16:53
Play 17 Chapter 17 Phil Benson
00:14:20
Play 18 Chapter 18 Phil Benson
00:11:34
Play 19 Chapter 19 Phil Benson
00:17:27
Play 20 Chapter 20 Phil Benson
00:16:35
Play 21 Chapter 21 Phil Benson
00:20:42
Play 22 Chapter 22 Phil Benson
00:18:36
Play 23 Chapter 23 Phil Benson
00:17:39
Play 24 Chapter 24 Phil Benson
00:29:28
Play 25 Chapter 25 Phil Benson
00:13:15
Play 26 Chapter 26 Phil Benson
00:13:09
Play 27 Chapter 27 Phil Benson
00:21:35
Play 28 Chapter 28 Phil Benson
00:08:27
Play 29 Chapter 29 Phil Benson
00:29:17
Play 30 Chapter 30 Phil Benson
00:10:00
Play 31 Chapter 31 Phil Benson
00:12:34
Play 32 Chapter 32 Phil Benson
00:10:10
Play 33 Chapter 33 Phil Benson
00:15:55
Play 34 Chapter 34 Phil Benson
00:15:55
Play 35 Chapter 35 Phil Benson
00:07:50
Play 36 Chapter 36 Phil Benson
00:18:18
Play 37 Chapter 37 Phil Benson
00:23:23
Play 38 Chapter 38 Phil Benson
00:14:17
Play 39 Chapter 39 Phil Benson
00:57:09