Audiobooks by John Dryden

Born in England – Exploring English Poetry - The East Midlands

"Poetry. A form of words that seems so elegantly simple in one verse and so cleverly complex in another. Each poet has a particular style, an individual and unique way with words and yet each of us seems to recognise the path and destination of where the verses lead, even if sometimes the full comprehension may be a little beyond us.Through the centuries every culture has produced verse to symbolize and to describe everything from everyday life, natural wonders, the human condition and even in its more hubristic moments, the crushing triumph of an enemy.In the volumes of this series, we take a look at poetry through the prism of individual regions of England, or sometimes more quaintly known as ‘Albion’, or ‘Blighty’, through the centuries of its gloried history.England, despite its perception of reserve and under-statement has, in reality, strode the global stage at various time in many things, both good and bad, from Empire to long distance running. Here our focus in on its literature. Famed for its fiction and dramas, it is equally admired for its plethora of gifted poets and the dazzling verse which has added so much to its artistic legacy. These classic poets are wonders of their age and of their art. Genius is written in their names.In this volume our poems come from the East Midlands in the centre of England. Once a vast manufacturing hub whose industries invented, created and exported the future to the entire world. From its industry and grime came poets of the first rank including Alfred Lord Tennyson, D H Lawrence, Anne Bradstreet, John Dryden, John Clare and many others."

Alfred Lord Tennyson, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Anna Seward, Anne Askew, Anne Bradstreet, D.H. Lawrence, Francis Beaumont, Henry Kirke White, Jane Barker, Jean Ingelow, Jessie Pope, John Beaumont, John Clare, John Dryden, John Skelton, John William Streets, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Mary Leapor, Thomas Randolph, William Lisle Bowles (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Nigel Davenport, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Born in England – Exploring English Poetry - Cambridge University

"Poetry. A form of words that seems so elegantly simple in one verse and so cleverly complex in another. Each poet has a particular style, an individual and unique way with words and yet each of us seems to recognise the path and destination of where the verses lead, even if sometimes the full comprehension may be a little beyond us.Through the centuries every culture has produced verse to symbolize and to describe everything from everyday life, natural wonders, the human condition and even in its more hubristic moments, the crushing triumph of an enemy.In the volumes of this series, we take a look at poetry through the prism of individual regions of England, or sometimes more quaintly known as ‘Albion’, or ‘Blighty’, through the centuries of its gloried history.England, despite its perception of reserve and under-statement has, in reality, strode the global stage at various time in many things, both good and bad, from Empire to long distance running. Here our focus in on its literature. Famed for its fiction and dramas, it is equally admired for its plethora of gifted poets and the dazzling verse which has added so much to its artistic legacy. These classic poets are wonders of their age and of their art. Genius is written in their names.In this volume we explore the poets of Cambridge. A small city, with its famed university, with an enviable historical grandeur and roll-call of poets who dazzle, humble and inspire us all in ways that only a poet can. Our poets include Christopher Marlowe, Lord Byron, Rupert Brooke, Alfred Lord Tennyson, John Donne and the talents of very many others."

Alfred Lord Tennyson, Andrew Marvell, Charles Kingsley, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, John Donne, John Dryden, Lord Byron, Robert Herrick, Rupert Brooke, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Siegfried Sassoon, Sir Walter Raleigh, William Wordsworth (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Richard Mitchley, Sean Barrett (Narrator)

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A Rhyme A Dozen - England

"'A dime a dozen' as known in America, is perhaps equal to the English 'cheap as chips' but whatever the lingua franca of your choice in this series we hereby submit 'A Rhyme a Dozen' as 12 poems on many given subjects that are a well-rounded gathering, maybe even an essential guide, from the knowing pens of classic poets and their beautifully spoken verse to the comfort of your ears. 1 - A Rhyme A Dozen - 12 Poems, 12 Poets, 1 Topic - England - An Introduction 2 - Jerusalem by William Blake 3 - Home Thoughts From Abroad by Robert Browning 4 - The Lambs of Grassmere by Christina Georgina Rossetti 5 - Happy Is England by John Keats 6 - This England (from Richard II) by William Shakespeare 7 - Daffodils by William Wordsworth 8 - Lines Written Beneath An Elm in the Churchyard of Harrow On The Hill Sept 2nd 1807 by George Gordon Byron 9 - Beachey Head by Charlotte Smith 10 - A Shropshire Lad XXXI - On Wenlock Edge the Wood's in Trouble by A E Housman 11 - London After The Great Fire 1666 by John Dryden 12 - The Lament of Swordy Well by John Clare 13 - A Song - Men of England by Percy Bysshe Shelley"

A E Housman, Charlotte Smith, Christina Georgina Rossetti, John Clare, John Dryden, John Keats, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Browning, William Blake, William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth (Author), Eve Karpf, Jake Urry (Narrator)

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Humour and Madness: Early Restoration Comedies: Nine BBC Radio Full Cast Productions including The R

"A sparkling collection of nine witty full-cast comedies from the early Restoration era Raunchy, risqué and rebellious, early Restoration comedies were a breath of fresh air for 17th century theatregoers. With Charles II restored to the throne in 1660, Oliver Cromwell's ban on stage performances was rescinded, and for the first time, women were invited to tread the boards as actresses. Playwrights developed a new style of social comedy, packed with amorous escapades, bawdy humour, wicked wit and sexual innuendo. This scintillating anthology showcases six leading lights of early Restoration drama, beginning with George Etherege, the creator of the 'comedy of manners': The Man of Mode, an irreverent portrait of the fops and libertines that populated London's beau monde; and She Wou'd If She Cou'd, a racy, fast-paced romp mocking society's double standards for men and women. Among the casts are Derek Jacobi, Anna Massey, Ian Richardson, Prunella Scales and Hattie Jacques. Also poking fun at hypocrisy and immorality was William Wycherley. However, his comedies were considered far more daring - especially The Country Wife, which was judged too obscene to be staged in its original form for over 200 years. Centred around a notorious rake who resorts to deception to pursue a naïve married woman, this effervescent BBC radio dramatisation stars Jonathan Pryce and Maggie Smith. Male playwrights were not the only ones penning scandalous dramas during this period. Aphra Behn, Britain's first professional female writer, was a poet, spy and the most prolific playwright of the 1670s and '80s. Her sex comedy The Rover, featured here, revolves around love, lust, intrigue and mistaken identity, and stars Julia Ford, Suzan Sylvester and Juliet Aubrey. England's first Poet Laureate, John Dryden, dominated Restoration literature to such an extent that it came to be known as the Age of Dryden. His 1677 play All For Love, a powerful reworking of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, is regarded as his finest work. John Turner and Barbara Jefford star in this heroic tragedy. A rival of Dryden, Edward Ravenscroft was the first British playwright to introduce characters from the 'commedia dell' arte' into his farces. His seminal comedy The London Cuckolds, featuring three ridiculous husbands, three beautiful wives, and one dissolute young cad, was hugely popular, and this BBC adaptation retains all the original's ribald wit. It stars Carleton Hobbs, Norman Shelley and Madi Hedd. Thomas Otway achieved his greatest success in the last five years of his life. Three of his acclaimed works appear here: his 1683 comedy The Soldier's Fortune and its sequel The Atheist, focussing on disbanded army officers looking for sex and money, and his masterpiece Venice Preserved, a dark political thriller about power, revolution, love and betrayal. The ensemble casts feature Dennis Quilley, John Rowe, Michael Turner and Donald Wolfit. Content list The Man of Mode First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 27 Jun 1986 She Wou'd If She Cou'd First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 6 Sep 1968 The Country Wife First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 22 Dec 1985 The Rover First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 22 Jan 1995 All For Love First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 7 Jul 1983 The London Cuckolds First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 30 Dec 1974 The Soldier's Fortune First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 24 May 1981 The Atheist First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 31 May 1981 Venice Preserved First broadcast BBC Third Programme, 10 Aug 1960 © 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Aphra Behn, Edward Ravenscroft, George Etherege, John Dryden, Thomas Otway, William Wycherley (Author), Anna Massey, Carleton Hobbs, Denys Hawthorne, Derek Jacobi, Frances Jeater, Full Cast, Harriet Walters, Jonathan Pryce, Maggie Smith, Prunella Scales (Narrator)

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A Rhyme A Dozen - Music

"'A dime a dozen' as known in America, is perhaps equal to the English 'cheap as chips' but whatever the lingua franca of your choice in this series we hereby submit 'A Rhyme a Dozen' as 12 poems on many given subjects that are a well-rounded gathering, maybe even an essential guide, from the knowing pens of classic poets and their beautifully spoken verse to the comfort of your ears.1 - A Rhyme A Dozen - 12 Poems, 12 Poets, 1 Topic - Music - An Introduction2 - To Music by Rainer Maria Rilke3 - Music by Stephen Vincent Benét4 - Music by Wilfred Owen5 - Power of Music by William Wordsworth6 - Master of Music by Henry van Dyke7 - Song 53 - What is That Flute Whose Music Thrills Me with Joy by Kabir8 - Rain Music by Joseph Semon Cotter9 - The Strange Music by G K Chesterton10 - The Iron Music by Ford Madox Ford11 - Music's Empire by Andrew Marvell12 - Sonnet 8 - Music to Hear Why Hearest Thou Music Sadly by William Shakespeare13 - Alexander's Feast or, The Power of Music by John Dryden"

John Dryden, Stephen Vincent Benet (Author), Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Tumanbay: The Complete Series 1-4: The BBC Radio epic full-cast saga

"An engrossing, expansive historical fantasy drama, inspired by the Mamluk slave dynasty of Egypt Tumanbay: the wealthiest city on earth. The beating heart of a vast empire. A city of dreams, where those who once arrived as slaves now hold power, and merchants, artists and warriors live side-by-side in peace. But this magnificent city is under threat. A rebellion in a far-off province, led by 'Queen' Maya, is gathering strength - and a mysterious force is devouring the empire from within. Gregor, a merciless spymaster and Master of the Palace Guard, is charged by Sultan Al-Ghuri to crush the insurgence, as his brother General Qulan is dispatched to quell the provincial insurrection. But as well as rooting out traitors, Gregor must contend with his arch-rival, the cunning Grand Vizier, Cadali. Meanwhile, Heaven, the 14-year-old daughter of slave merchant Ibn, is adrift at sea, captive to an escaped slave on whom she depends for her survival. Madu, the Sultan's spoilt nephew, also has to grow up quickly as he swaps palace life for the army... As the wheel of fate turns, Tumanbay's fortunes suffer a terrible reversal. Beset by plague, assassins, invasion, occupation and revolution, the once-great city is riven by political intrigue and power struggles. As rulers are toppled and tyrants fall, who will survive and thrive - and who will die? A Game of Thrones-style epic with the sweep of The Arabian Nights, this compelling story of love, revenge, betrayal and deception won the Best Audio Serial Gold Award at the New York Radio Festival. Among the impressive ensemble cast are Rufus Wright, Olivia Popica, Matthew Marsh, Alexander Siddig, John Sessions, Hiran Abeysekera, Aiysha Hart, Anton Lesser, Tara Fitzgerald, Enzo Cilenti and Rob Jarvis. Production credits Created by John Scott Dryden and Mike Walker and inspired by the Mamluk slave rulers of Egypt Written by John Scott Dryden, Mike Walker and Mac Rogers Directed by John Scott Dryden Produced by Emma Hearn, Nadir Khan and John Scott Dryden Original music by Sacha Puttnam Additional music by Jon Ouin Sound Design: Steve Bond, Jon Ouin and Eloise Whitmore Sound Recording by Joe Richardson and Laurence Farr Sound Edited by James Morgan and Andrea Gomez Editors: Ania Przygoda and James Morgan A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4 © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

John Dryden, Mike Walker (Author), Alexander Siddig, Anton Lesser, Danny Ashok, Full Cast, John L. Sessions, Matthew Marsh, Nabil Elouahabi, Olivia Popica, Raad Rawi, Rufus Wright (Narrator)

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The Poetry of the 17th Century - Volume 1

"The Elizabethan age had almost departed and the world had seen the rise of great European empires that continued to hunt with mischief between themselves as they traversed the globe in search of more spoils and territories. In England the Civil War had brought about the Will of Parliament and the replacement of the Crown as the governing body. But with these Puritan times, and the subsequent Restoration, Poetry had entered a golden age. John Milton, John Dryden, Ben Jonson are but a few of the luminaries whose great verse followed in the wake of the immortal William Shakespeare."

Aphra Behn, John Donne, John Dryden (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Gideon Wagner, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Poetry Hour - Volume 15

"Poetry is often cited as our greatest use of words. The English language has well over a million of them and poets down the ages seem, at times, to make use of every single one. But often they use them in simple ways to describe anything and everything from landscapes to all aspects of the human condition. Poems can evoke within us an individual response that takes us by surprise; that opens our ears and eyes to very personal feelings.Forget the idea of classic poetry being somehow dull and boring and best kept to children’s textbooks. It still has life, vibrancy and relevance to our lives today. Where to start? How to do that? Poetry can be difficult. We’ve put together some very eclectic Poetry Hours, with a broad range of poets and themes, to entice you and seduce you with all manner of temptations. In this hour we introduce poets of the quality and breadth of John Dryden and William Morris as well as themes on Victorian Poetry, August, The Female Poet and more.All of them are from Portable Poetry, a dedicated poetry publisher. We believe that poetry should be a part of our everyday lives, uplifting the soul & reaching the parts that other arts can’t. Our range of audiobooks and ebooks cover volumes on some of our greatest poets to anthologies of seasons, months, places and a wide range of themes. Portable Poetry can found at iTunes, Audible, the digital music section on Amazon and most other digital stores. This audio book is also duplicated in print as an ebook. Same title. Same words. Perhaps a different experience. But with Amazon’s whispersync you can pick up and put down on any device – start on audio, continue in print and any which way after that. Portable poetry – Let us join you for the journey.The Poetry Hour – Volume 15John Dryden. An IntroductionFarewell Ungrateful Traitor by John DrydenDreams by John DrydenAlexanders Feast or The Power of Music by John DrydenAugustAugust 1914 by Isaac RosenbergAt Sundown by Daniel SheehanA Summer Evening Churchyard, Lechlade, Gloucestershire by Percy Bysshe ShelleyMoonlight Summer Moonlight by Emily Jane BronteAugust by Algernon Charles SwinburneAugust Moonrise by Sara TeasdaleThe Female Poet. An Introduction. Volume 3Good Night by Mary GilmoreExpecting the Lord by Anne Griffiths My Mother’s Kiss by Frances E W HarperBattle Hymn of the Republic by Julia Ward HoweYou Kissed Me by Josephine Slocum HuntThe Power of Words by Letitia Elizabeth LandonLove, The Soul of Poetry by Anne KilligrewThe New Colossus by Emma LazarusSonnet by Amy LevyAnimal Poems – An IntroductionThe Fly by William BlakeThe City Mouse and the County Mouse by Christina RossettiThe Owl & the Pussy Cat by Edward LearA Lobster Quadrille by Lewis CarrollFrom Baby Tortoise by DH LawrenceWilliam Morris - An IntroductionThe Earthly Paradise – Apology by William MorrisOur Hands Have Met by William MorrisThe Voice of Toil by William MorrisA Garden By the Sea by William MorrisThe Message of the March Wind by William MorrisVictorian Poetry - An IntroductionA Broken Appointment by Thomas Hardy My Prayers Must met A Brazen Heaven by Gerard Manley Hopkins When Summer’s End is Nighing by AE Housman The Mother’s Son by Rudyard Kipling The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear Sonnet XXIX by George Meredith Between the Dusk of a Summer Night by William Ernest Henley"

John Dryden, Rudyard Kipling, William Morris (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Gideon Wagner, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Poetry of John Dryden

"John Dryden was born on August 9th, 1631 in the village rectory of Aldwincle near Thrapston in Northamptonshire and grew up in a nearby village. In 1644 he was sent to Westminster School as a King's Scholar and then obtained his BA in 1654, graduating top of the list for Trinity College, Cambridge that year. Returning to London during The Protectorate, Dryden found work with Cromwell's Secretary of State, John Thurloe. At Cromwell's funeral on November 23rd 1658 he found company with the Puritan poets John Milton and Andrew Marvell. The setting was to be a sea change in English history. From Republic to Monarchy and from one set of lauded poets to what would soon become the Age of Dryden. Later that year he published the first of his great poems, Heroic Stanzas (1658), a eulogy on Cromwell's death. With the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 Dryden celebrated in verse with Astraea Redux, an authentic royalist panegyric and with the re-opening of the theatres he began to also write plays. His first, The Wild Gallant, appeared in 1663 and whilst not successful, he was contracted to produce three plays a year for the King's Company, in which he became a shareholder. During the 1660s and '70s, theatrical writing was his main source of income. In 1667, he published Annus Mirabilis, a lengthy historical poem which described the English defeat of the Dutch naval fleet and the Great Fire of London. This work established him as the pre-eminent poet of his generation, and was crucial in his attaining the posts of Poet Laureate in 1668 and a couple of years later, historiographer royal (1670) as his talent encompassed many forms; from Poetry to Plays to translations.In 1694 he began work on what would be his most ambitious and defining work as translator, The Works of Virgil (1697), which was published by subscription. It was a national event. John Dryden died on May 12th, 1700, and was initially buried in St. Anne's cemetery in Soho, before being exhumed and reburied in Westminster Abbey ten days later. This volume comes to you from Portable Poetry, a specialized imprint from Deadtree Publishing. Our range is large and growing and covers single poets, themes, and many compilations."

John Dryden (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Gideon Wagner, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Poetry of June

"June - the sixth month of the year in our Gregorian calendar and the official beginning of Summer. The days stretch to their longest and many subjects and thoughts fill the minds of our Poets such as Dryden, Levy, Raleigh, Blunt and Dickenson as they describe the warming days. Among our readers are Richard Mitchley and Ghizela Rowe. The tracks are; June - An Introduction; Knee Deep In June By James Whitcomb Riley; A June Tide Echo By Amy Levy; June By William Cullen Bryant; There Is A June When Corn Is Cut By Emily Dickinson; Sweet Empty Sky of June By Henry Vaughan; June 14th By Maria Frances Cecilia Cowper; Dusk In June By Sara Teasdale; Wishes Of An Elderly Man Wished At A Garden Party, June 1914 By Walter Alexander Raleig; A Man Young And Old By William Butler Yeats; The Human Seasons By John Keats; June Night By Sara Teasdale; The Longest Day By William Wordsworth; A June Night By Emma Lazarus; Pleasure's Past By John Clare; A Night In June By James Edwin Campbell; A Night In June By Alfred Austin; A Match By Algernon Swinburne; Hymn For The Dedication Of Memorial Hall At Cambridge June 23rd 1874 By Oliver Wendell Holmes; June A Tale By William Cowper; June At Woodruff By James Whitcomb Riley; June By Horatio Alger Jr; All In June By William Henry Davies; Hymn For St John's Eve The 29th June By John Henry Dryden; Beachey Head By Charlotte Smith; Our Fathers Also By Rudyard Kipling; I Am Your Father By Daniel Sheehan; At The Royal Academy By Thomas Hardy; Boat By Rabindranath Tagore."

Emily Dickinson, John Dryden, Rudyard Kipling (Author), Ghizela Rowe, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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The Restoration Poets

"In the years between 1660 and 1700 much upheaval took place in English politics. To mirror this rising on the artistic scene were the Restoration Poets - Dryden, Milton, Bunyan, Marvell, D'Avennat, Cowley .... are but a select few from this momentous movement in our Poetical History. Poets of courage, ambition and vigour. With the strength of words and vision to record for history this tumultuous phase."

John Bunyan, John Dryden, John Milton (Author), David Shaw-Parker, Ghizela Rowe, Richard Mitchley (Narrator)

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Dryden vs Shadwell - a Poetic Duel

"Throughout history there have been many creative artists whose fame depends largely on their association with a much greater artist. Such the case of Thomas Shadwell, poet and prolific writer of low brow comedies, who is today most famous as the butt of satire by one of greatest and most influential English poets, John Dryden. Shadwell and Dryden were at first colleagues and collaborators, but later fell out over some sharp divergences of opinion. In particular, Dryden disagreed with Shadwell's high estimation of Ben Jonson, and even more of the latter's claim to be be Jonson's artistic heir. The most celebrated product of this controversy was Dryden's satirical poem, Mac Flecknoe, in which he presents Shadwell as the apostle of dullness. This elegant satire was first circulated unpublished in pamphlet form and then published in 1682. Shadwell responded with "The Medal of John Bayes" which has as a preface a mocking "Epistle to the Tories." Dryden's reply was a further poem "The Medal" which likewise had a preface: "Epistle to the Whigs." Shadwell is also the subject of harsh reference in Dryden's Absolom and Achitophel (1681). In his lifetime, Shadwell emerged the victor from this dispute. In 1688, James II was deposed, and Dryden, as a Tory and a staunch Catholic, lost both favour at court and the position of Poet Laureate. His successor was Shadwell, a Whig and a convenient rather than a devout Protestant. Forced into retirement, Dryden concentrated on the translations from Greek and Latin classics, which have added further to his stature as poet and dramatist. Shadwell died in 1692, leaving a large body of comedies, which are today considered his best work, but which are rarely performed today. (Summary by Algy Pug)"

John Dryden (Author), LibriVox Volunteers (Narrator)

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