Experimental feature: Order Voice of the Poet: W.H. Auden (Voice of the Poet) from the UK, Canada, Germany or France by clicking an appropriate flag below.

               

Some items available at Amazon.com are not available in all countries.

Binding: Audio CD
Dewey Decimal Number: 821.912
EAN: 9780739308066
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 0739308068
Label: Random House Audio Voices
Manufacturer: Random House Audio Voices
Number Of Items: 1
Publication Date: 2004-03-16
Publisher: Random House Audio Voices
Product Release Date: 2004-03-16
Studio: Random House Audio Voices

W.H. Auden describes the experience of poems read aloud:

The formal structure of a poem is not something distinct from its meaning but as intimately bound up with the latter as the body is with the soul. When one reads a poem in a book one grasps the form immediately, but when one listens to a recitation, it is sometimes very difficult to "hear" the structure.

Thankfully, the throaty growlings unearthed on this rare audio collection are accompanied by text for each of the 23 selections. The handsome booklet also includes a substantial introduction by editor J.D. McClatchy. Highlights from Voice of the Poet--which is being released along with works by Sylvia Plath and James Merrill--include three sonnets from Auden's judicial "In Time of War," "The Wanderer," the elegy "In Memory of W.B. Yeats," and the ballad "As I Walked out One Evening." Listen to Auden read from "As I Walked out One Evening." Visit our audio help page for more information. Used with permission of the estate of W.H. Auden. All rights reserved. (Running time: 1 hour, 1 cassette)

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Voice of the Poet: W.H. Auden
Review: This a an excellent collection of auden's poetry, read by the poet. The CD is well recorded and presented in an attractive package, and comes with a book of the poems on the CD in words.

---

Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Not all poets make great readers of their own work. But Auden's voice-- so warm, so musical, so passionate-- is a joy to listen to. The recordings, done in many places over many years, are of a varying quality. But in each the voice comes shining through.

The poem selections are top-notch across the board, containing such favorites as "As I Walked Out One Evening," "Fish in the Unruffled Lakes," "Musee des Beaux Arts," four sonnets from "In Time of War," "Under Which Lyre," "The More Loving One" and "The Shield of Achilles." The CD version is supposedly abridged, but it is 57 minutes compared to the Audio Cassette version's hour. This also comes with a book containing the final text of the selected poems (sometimes slightly different than what he reads). The book also contains a nice introduction and background on Auden by poet J.D. McClatchy.

My favorite tracks have to be "Under Which Lyre," read with such wit that it made me laugh several times, and the powerful "Friday's Child". I believe one can listen to a streaming version of "Under Which Lyre" on poets.org -- although it sounds much better on this CD since streaming audio is generally scratchy. It could give you an idea if this CD is right for you.

This could hardly be bad when it contains such great poetry, but it manages to be appropriate for both long-time Auden fans and those who are just beginning. An outstanding product. 5/5 stars.

---

---