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News From Nowhere

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News From Nowhere

By: William Morris
Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
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About this listen

News from Nowhere (1890) is the best-known prose work of William Morris. The novel describes the encounter between a visitor from the 19th century, William Guest, and a decentralized and humane socialist future. Set over a century after a revolutionary upheaval in 1952, these 'Chapters from a Utopian Romance' recount his journey across London and up the Thames to Kelmscott Manor, Morris's own country house in Oxfordshire.

Drawing on the work of John Ruskin and Karl Marx, Morris's audiobook is not only an evocative statement of his egalitarian convictions but also a distinctive contribution to the utopian tradition. Morris's rejection of state socialism and his ambition to transform the relationship between humankind and the natural world, give News from Nowhere a particular resonance for modern readers.

©2013 William Morris (P)2013 Audible Ltd Classics Socialism Utopian

Editor reviews

Author Morris was a socialist, a pattern-maker, an environmentalist, and a writer. Here Morris imagines an England reformed through civic rebellion against social injustice. A young man goes to sleep and wakes up in the far future, in an England that has become a communist, rural utopia. British narrator Barnaby Edwards employs a droll and tony voice when reciting this mannered and far-fetched text. The novella is written in first person, and the protagonist is young. The story registers like an essay, and the protagonist sounds far older than his years. This book is mainly an imaginative vehicle for Morris to decry societal wrongs and propose an idealistic alternative. Matching Morris’ intent Edwards performs as if he is lecturing.
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A wonderful concept, but Morris is a better designer than writer, which is possibly why the reading is a little stilted as well.

Interesting to find out a little more of Morris’ writing and thoughts

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Had this on my list of books to read for AGES. I'm pleased to have waited as I thought the voice acting was very good and fitted Morris' flowery poetic writing and arts and crafts world vision. Apparently he wrote it because he was upset by another utopian book called 'looking backwards'. Which I also enjoyed recently as part of my personal utopian studies.

Justice done to a classic

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William Morris was a true ‘visionary’. The book is fascinating. His analysis of colonialism spot on. His love of nature and beauty evident.
I found the narration rather stiff and stilted - especially to begin with. The female voices slightly irritating and camp. Other than that a ‘must read’.

Fascinating book. Rather stilted narration.

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Read this for the first time at university. Good narrative & well read. Political philosophy about what a decent society would look like.

Very good

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A fantastic work drawing in detail a beautiful vision of a future not so fanciful that you couldnt believe it possible. It can feel like an essay wrapped in a novel at times but it is staggering how contemporary Morris's scathing critique of continual growth capitalism and how compassionate his vision of a better future can feel.

Morris was truly a visionary

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