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77ie Harbor

by Ernest Poole (1880-1950)

Published in 1915, The Harbor is considered to be one of Poole's best efforts. The
Harbor is a fictional account of life on a Brooklyn waterfront through the eyes of Billy
as he is growing up. The novel starts with Billy the child, living on the harbor with his
father, mother, and sister, Sue. His hard-working father owns a shipping business,
and can think of little else. As a young man, Billy begins to detest the harbor and
longs for escape to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a writer and avoiding his
father's business. With his mother's blessing, he takes flight to Paris to hone his
trade. While in Paris, he meets Joe Kramer (J.K.) and a sometimes stormy
relationship begins. J.K. forces him to confront human situations that Billy would
prefer to ignore. Billy eventually returns to the harbor and recognizes that changes
are taking place in the harbor - and in his life. As his attitude about the harbor begins
to evolve, it becomes a subject for his writing and his personal relationships.
Throughout the novel, J.K. continues to make appearances in Billy's life, challenging
him to write about things as they really are and not as Billy's world of comfort shows
them to be. Billy's life is changed when the harbor goes on strike and he becomes
involved in the labor movement. What more can be said about a book that starts with
the words, "You Chump!"?

Total running time: 12:49:32
Read by Tom Weiss

Cover design by Kathryn Delaney

Cover art by Everett Shinn, New York Harbor, c. 1898

LibriVox

acoustical liberation of books
in the public domain

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