2008 Der Hobbit (Gert Heidenreich)

The Hobbit

Release Date: 2008
Readers: Gert Heidenreich
Language: German
Translator: Wolfgang Krege
Organisation: © 2008 Der Hörverlag
ISBN: 9783867174435
Duration: 10 hours 53 minutes
Unabridged: Yes
Country: Germany
Licenced: Yes
Formats: CD, Digital

Gert Heidenreich is a prominent German author, journalist, and voice artist born in Eberswalde in 1944. He is widely recognized as one of the most significant voices in German audiobooks, particularly for his work on epic fantasy and literary classics. Noted for his deep, resonant, and warm timbre, he approaches the text with a sense of “archaic dignity.” Treating the story seriously, avoiding the “squeaky” or overly “cartoony” voices that some narrators use for children’s books.

There are two main German translations of The Hobbit: the “classic” Margaret Carroux translation and the “modern” Wolfgang Krege translation. Here, Heidenreich reads the Krege translation which was generally well-received because it captures the conversational, slightly whimsical tone Tolkien intended for a younger audience.

He is also the voice behind the German unabridged version of The Lord of the Rings.