Bartleby, the Scrivener

Herman Melville

⏱ 8 minAmerican classic

A Wall Street lawyer hires a quiet copyist who one day begins to answer every task with 'I would prefer not to', and will neither work nor leave. Melville's haunting, funny, bottomless parable of passive refusal.

Listen to the whole of Bartleby, the Scrivener in about 8 minutes — professionally narrated, with Apple-Music-style synced subtitles. One book free every day; Folio Premium unlocks the entire library.