Read in English · with Spanish
Read The winner and new... in English, with Spanish beside it
by Ib Melchior · 1917–2015
The winner and new... by Ib Melchior is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. It satirizes mass media, consumerism, and politics through a high-stakes television quiz show where knowledge becomes spectacle and the ultimate prize is national power. A flamboyant emcee hosts a colossal live quiz in a stadium and before a vast TV audience, complete with glamorous ads and a computer that selects questions. The long-reigning champion, a timid philatelist named Monroe, faces a confident challenger, James Burton, who chooses Mars as his category. Sealed in force-fields to prevent any outside help, they trade increasingly difficult questions—ranging from Martian geography and biology to obscure stamp lore—while the tension mounts. After hours, Monroe finally misses a deceptively simple stamp question, his force-field implodes, and he vanishes; the emcee then proclaims Burton “the Winner and New President of the United States,” revealing the show’s chilling premise and the story’s sharp critique of entertainment-driven governance.
Summary generated automatically by Project Gutenberg.
- Read time
- 8 min
- Words
- 1,830
- Chapters
- 1
- Paragraphs
- 68
- Price
- Free
- Science fiction
- Short stories
- Television game shows -- Fiction
“Well, well, here we are again!
«Bueno, bueno, ¡aquí estamos de nuevo!
And here, Ladies and Gentlemen, are our contestants.
Y aquí, señoras y señores, están nuestros contendientes.
I hardly need introduce our Incumbent to you--forty-nine weeks undefeated.
Apenas necesito presentar a nuestro Incumbente... cuarenta y nueve semanas invicto.
Here he is--_Charles Monroe!
Aquí lo tienen: _Charles Monroe.
_” The little stout man stepped forward and took a bow.
_» El pequeño hombre corpulento dio un paso adelante y se inclinó.
The applause was thunderous in the vast hall.
Los aplausos fueron truenantes en el vasto salón.
Then Monroe nervously fingered his rim-glasses and returned to his place.
Entonces, Monroe se tocó nerviosamente las gafas de montura y regresó a su lugar.
About the author
Ib Melchior1917–2015
Ib Melchior (1917–2015) was a Danish-American writer and filmmaker born in Copenhagen and later based in West Hollywood.
The Ib Melchior page, and where to start →Read it in another language
Questions about The winner and new...
Can I read The winner and new... in English with Spanish side by side online?
Yes, free. Paralelo shows the English original with a Spanish machine translation beside it, aligned phrase by phrase: hover or tap a phrase and its counterpart lights up in the other column. Anyone can read a passage; a free account opens the whole book.
What level do I need to read The winner and new... here?
There is no set level. The winner and new... runs to 1,830 words, and the translation sits beside it, aligned phrase by phrase, so you can start below the level the original would need on its own and lean on the translation only where you stumble.
Is The winner and new... really free to read?
Yes. The text is in the public domain, and the translation and alignment are ours to give. A free account opens the whole book; the paid tier is for unlimited explanations.
Can I read The winner and new... in another language?
Yes. It is also published in French, and switching keeps your place, because both columns share one paragraph numbering.
How long does The winner and new... take to read?
About 8 min at a normal pace, longer if you stop to look at the alignment, which is rather the point.
Book details
- Original language
- English
- Translation
- Spanish, machine translation
- Source text
- Project Gutenberg #78073
- Licence
- Public domain in the United States
Start The winner and new... today.
Free forever, no card. The whole library opens with an account.
Start reading, it's free