Audiobooks by Simon Armitage

Greek Myths: Modern re-tellings: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast drama collection

"Award winning classic stories from Greek mythology, reimagined by Simon Armitage and Linda Marshall Griffiths - plus bonus material With their epic tales of gods, heroes, magic and monsters, the Greek myths have thrilled us for over 2000 years, and inspired countless adaptations. Now, in this captivating collection, two award-winning playwrights bring their own fresh, contemporary takes to the famous legends of Odysseus, Orpheus and Eurydice. Simon Armitage's Missing Presumed Dead: The Odyssey weaves together Homeric myth and modern-day politics, as a senior politician with a colourful past is sent on a diplomatic mission to Istanbul, only to find himself at the centre of an international incident. On the run from the authorities, he is plunged into the ancient past where his Odyssey begins, as he contends with supernatural beings and unnatural phenomena from the Cyclops and Circe to Sirens, storms and shipwreck. Will he survive, and get back home? Meanwhile, in the present day, his wife and son are besieged by the press, desperate to hear the full story... This gripping dramatisation stars Colin Tierney as Smith/Odysseus. In two linked plays, with a 4-minute introduction by Simon Armitage, he and Linda Marshall Griffiths each give their versions of the tragedy of Orpheus and his doomed bride. Armitage's Eurydice and Orpheus: Her Story tells the tale of two lovers - lab technician Sanna and busking musician Zak - and a harp that will have a profound, irreversible effect on both their lives. Claire Price stars as Sanna, with Bryan Dick as Zak. And in Orpheus and Eurydice: His Story, by Linda Marshall Griffiths, grief-stricken singer Orfeo journeys into the Underworld to bring back his dead wife, Eurydice. But is love stronger than death, if a backward glance can destroy everything? Starring Nico Mirallegro as Orfeo and Emily Taaffe as Eurydice, and with music by PJ Harvey, this moving drama won the Grand Prix Marulic in 2016. Also included is a bonus extract from Radio 4's Start the Week, in which Simon Armitage talks to Anne McElvoy about his dramatisation of Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid, The Last Days of Troy. Cast and credits Missing Presumed Dead: The Odyssey Cast: Colin Tierney, Simon Dutton, Polly Frame, Susie Trayling, Lee Armstrong, Roger Evans, David Hartley, Ranjit Krishnamma, Chris Reilly,Sule Rimi, Danusia Samal Written by Homer. Adapted by Simon Armitage Originally directed for the stage by Nick Bagnall and co-produced by The Liverpool Everyman and the English Touring Theatre. Directed by Susan Roberts. Music composed by James Fortune First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24 April-1 May 2016 Eurydice and Orpheus: Her Story Cast: Claire Price, Bryan Dick, Jonathan Keeble, Alexandra Mathie, Stephen Fletcher Written by Simon Armitage. Produced by Susan Roberts With music composed by PJ Harvey. Harpist: Jon Banks. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 September 2015 Orpheus and Eurydice: His Story Cast: Nico Mirallegro, Emily Taaffe, Jonathan Keeble, Alexandra Mathie, Stephen Fletcher Written by Linda Marshall Griffiths. Directed by Nadia Molinari With music composed by PJ Harvey First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 22 September 2015 ©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Linda Marshall Griffiths, Simon Armitage (Author), Bryan Dick, Claire Price, Colin Tierney, Emily Taaffe, Full Cast, Jonathan Keeble, Nico Mirallegro, Polly Frame, Simon Dutton (Narrator)

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Lives of Houses

"This audiobook narrated by Kate Kennedy and Hermione Lee celebrates our fascination with the houses of famous literary figures, artists, composers, and politicians of the past With additional narration by Lisa Coleman, Phyllida Nash, and Richard Pryal Features contributions by notable writers such as UK poet laureate Simon Armitage, Julian Barnes, Margaret MacMillan, and Jenny Uglow What can a house tell us about the person who lives there? Do we shape the buildings we live in, or are we formed by the places we call home? And why are we especially fascinated by the houses of the famous and often long-dead? In Lives of Houses, a group of notable biographers, historians, critics, and poets explores these questions and more through fascinating essays on the houses of great writers, artists, composers, and politicians of the past. Editors Kate Kennedy and Hermione Lee are joined by wide-ranging contributors, including Simon Armitage, Julian Barnes, David Cannadine, Roy Foster, Alexandra Harris, Daisy Hay, Margaret MacMillan, Alexander Masters, and Jenny Uglow. We encounter W. H. Auden, living in joyful squalor in New York's St. Mark's Place, and W. B. Yeats in his flood-prone tower in the windswept West of Ireland. We meet Benjamin Disraeli, struggling to keep up appearances, and track the lost houses of Virginia Woolf and Elizabeth Bowen. We visit Benjamin Britten in Aldeburgh, England, and Jean Sibelius at Ainola, Finland. But Lives of Houses also considers those who are unhoused, unwilling or unable to establish a home—from the bewildered poet John Clare wandering the byways of England to the exiled Zimbabwean writer Dambudzo Marechera living on the streets of London. Lives of Houses illuminates what houses mean to us and how we use them to connect to and think about the past. The result is a fresh and engaging look at house and home. Featuring Alexandra Harris on moving house ● Susan Walker on Morocco's ancient Roman House of Venus ● Hermione Lee on biographical quests for writers' houses ● Margaret Macmillan on her mother's Toronto house ● a poem by Maura Dooley, 'Visiting Orchard House, Concord, Massachusetts'—the house in which Louisa May Alcott wrote and set her novel Little Women ● Felicity James on William and Dorothy Wordsworth's Dove Cottage ● Robert Douglas-Fairhurst at home with Tennyson ● David Cannadine on Winston Churchill's dream house, Chartwell ● Jenny Uglow on Edward Lear at San Remo's Villa Emily ● Lucy Walker on Benjamin Britten at Aldeburgh, England ● Seamus Perry on W. H. Auden at 77 St. Mark's Place, New York City ● Rebecca Bullard on Samuel Johnson's houses ● a poem by Simon Armitage, 'The Manor' ● Daisy Hay at home with the Disraelis ● Laura Marcus on H. G. Wells at Uppark ● Alexander Masters on the fear of houses ● Elleke Boehmer on sites associated with Zimbabwean writer Dambudzo Marechera ● Kate Kennedy on the mental asylums where World War I poet Ivor Gurney spent the last years of his life ● a poem by Bernard O'Donoghue, 'Safe Houses' ● Roy Foster on W. B. Yeats and Thoor Ballylee ● Sandra Mayer on W. H. Auden's Austrian home ● Gillian Darley on John Soane and the autobiography of houses ● Julian Barnes on Sibelius and Ainola"

Jenny Uglow, Julian Barnes, Margaret MacMillan, Simon Armitage (Author), Hermione Lee, Kate Kennedy, Lisa Coleman, Phyllida Nash, Richard Pryal (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Bayeux Tapestry: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

"A combination of verse from Simon Armitage and prose from Jeff Young lends a voice to the chain of events depicted on the famous Bayeux Tapestry. This production chronicles the history surrounding the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the ascension of Duke William of Normandy to the English throne. Harold, Duke of Wessex, takes the English throne, despite Edward the Confessor's wish that William Duke of Normandy should be his heir. Seeking retribution, William sails to England and heads his troops towards Hastings, where the battle eventually concludes with Harold's death by an arrow shot to the eye. Poetry and prose are interspersed with war correspondent-style reports on the action. As the royal dukes ponder their lot, assorted commoners of the day discuss fear, heroism and grief."

Jeff Young, Simon Armitage (Author), Christopher Eccleston, Full Cast, Kirsty Wark (Narrator)

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The Last Days of Troy: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

"Lily Cole stars as Helen of Troy, ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’, in Simon Armitage’s vivid, visceral adaptation of Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid For ten years, the Greeks have been laying siege to Troy to win back their abducted queen, Helen. But as the war drags on, and the battlefields run scarlet with blood, the opposing forces are entrenched in a bitter stalemate. As Gods and mortals squabble amongst themselves for the spoils of war, the exhausted warriors go to extreme lengths in a desperate grab for victory… Dramatised by multi-award-winning poet and playwright Simon Armitage, The Last Days of Troy was first produced as a stage play at the Manchester Royal Exchange and Shakespeare’s Globe, and this radio version features the original cast. Both a tense action adventure and a powerful commentary on the futility of war, it brings Homer’s ancient myth to dynamic life and explores themes that still resonate today, in a world locked in cycles of conflict and revenge, East versus West and with the same dangerous combination of pride, lies and self-deception that fuelled the Trojan War. ‘Armitage was the real star, with his vivid and muscular dialogue and occasional flashes of humour…The Last Days of Troy was a powerful reflection on the folly of men and the cruelty of war.’ – Independent Cast and credits Agamemnon..................................................................David Birrell Achilles..................................................................Jake Fairbrother Zeus..................................................................Richard Bremmer Odysseus..................................................................Colin Tierney Hera..................................................................Gillian Bevan Andromache/Thetis................................................Claire Calbraith Hector..................................................................Simon Harrison Helen..................................................................Lily Cole Paris..................................................................Tom Stuart Athene/Briseis..................................................................Francesca Zoutewelle Priam..................................................................Garry Cooper Patroclus..................................................................Brendan O’Hea Astyanax..................................................................Luca Rawlinson Original music by Alex Baranowski Directed for radio by Susan Roberts First directed for The Royal Exchange Theatre by Nick Bagnall"

Simon Armitage (Author), Brendan O’hea, Claire Calbraith, Colin Tierney, David Birell, Francesca Zoutewelle, Garry Cooper, Gillian Bevan, Jake Fairbrother, Lily Cole, Luca Rawlinson, Richard Bremmer, Simon Harrison, Tom Stuart (Narrator)

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