The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe — A Classic Gothic Bedtime Story, Narrated Audiobook | Books at Bedtime
A classic audiobook narrated aloud as part of Calming Anxiety's Books at Bedtime series. Tonight's bedtime story is The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe, one of his shortest and most haunting tales, and a beautifully atmospheric read-aloud as the nights draw in towards Halloween. It was first published in 1842 under the title "Life in Death" and is long in the public domain: Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) died more than 175 years ago.
For more calming audiobooks and gentler sleep stories whenever you need them, download Anchored, the free companion app to Calming Anxiety, with offline-ready relaxation and Books at Bedtime sessions for any hour of the night.
Get it on the App Store at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/anchored-panic-anxiety/id6785035669 or on Google Play at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinhewlett.anchored.
In this narrated short story, a wounded traveller shelters for the night in an abandoned château high in the Apennines. Unable to sleep, he lies in a candlelit turret room hung with tapestries and paintings, reading a small book that describes them. When he moves the candelabrum at midnight, its light falls on a portrait he hadn't noticed before: a young woman in an oval gilded frame, painted with a life-likeness so startling it holds him spellbound. Then he reads her story.
This is quiet, dreamlike gothic fiction about art, obsession and love, told in Poe's rich, hypnotic prose. It's a perfect choice if you love classic literature read aloud and a gently haunting tale by candlelight before sleep.
Please note: this is a gothic story with a sad and eerie ending, a little darker than our usual gentle sleep stories. If you're feeling anxious or fragile tonight, you may prefer one of our calmer Books at Bedtime readings.
Hosted and narrated by clinical hypnotherapist and former paramedic Martin Hewlett, as part of Calming Anxiety's Coffee Break for the Soul and Books at Bedtime story readings.
And in everything, my friend, be kind.
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