Poetry Audiobooks | Literature

"Everyone knows something of Shakespeare's sonnets, even if only in memorable fragments like 'the darling buds of may' or 'remembrance of things past' 'the marriage of minds'. For centuries these wonderfully-crafted, intense lyrics have stood for something valued about youth, love and the emotional complexities belonging to that time of life. This new recording presents all 154 of Shakespeare's Sonnets, using the New Cambridge Shakespeare texts."

William Shakespeare (Author), Alex Jennings (Narrator)

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Bestiary: An Anthology of Animal Poems

"In this treasury of passionate and humorous encounters with animals, Stephen Mitchell has collected animal poems from many ages and cultures. Included here are excerpts from ancient masterpieces like The Hymn to the Sun by Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, The Book of Job, as well as haikus by Basho and Issa. Additional works included here are poems by Christopher Smart, William Blake, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Gerald Manley Hopkins. With some of the best animal poems ever written, this compilation will delight and satisfy animal lovers everywhere."

Stephen Mitchell (Author), Stephen Mitchell (Narrator)

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The Poetry of Robert Frost

"Drawing upon everyday incidents, common situations, and rural imagery, Robert Frost fashioned poetry of great lyrical beauty and potent symbolism. His language is simple, clear, and colloquial, yet dense with meaning and wider significance. This brilliant collection features some of Frost's greatest works, including 'The Road Not Taken,' 'Asking for Roses,' 'The Death of the Hired Man,' 'In the Home Stretch,' 'Into My Own,' 'Meeting and Passing,' 'Mending Wall,' and more. These poems are brought to life by several award-winning performers including Susan Anspach, Roscoe Lee Browne, Elliott Gould, Arte Johnson, Melissa Manchester, Kevin McCarthy, Jean Smart, Michael Tucker, Alfre Woodard, and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr."

Robert Frost (Author), Alfre Woodard, Arte Johnson, Elliott Gould, Jean Smart, Joel Grey, Kevin McCarthy, Melissa Manchester, Michael Tucker, Roscoe Lee Browne, Susan Anspach (Narrator)

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The Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare

"The sonnets of William Shakespeare are among the most famous love poems in the English language. For sustained dramatic intrigue and sophistication of plot, these works are at least the equal of Shakespeare's greatest plays. Compelling, subtle, and intellectually rigorous—yet taut with intense emotion—each poem invites study, interpretation, and awe, from one generation to the next. This recording presents them in their entirety, allowing a new generation to discover Shakespeare's emotional power, mastery of language, and insight into the human condition. Acclaimed actors from the past fifty years perform the entire sequence of 154 sonnets—along with 'A Lover's Complaint' and selected songs—delivering the full range and power of virtuosity, emotional power and bristling intelligence that made Shakespeare great. Among the readers are Roscoe Lee Browne, Christopher Cazenove, Minnie Driver, Kelsey Grammer, Edward Herrmann, Patrick Macnee, Juliet Mills, Vanessa Redgrave, Jean Smart, Alfre Woodard, and Michael York."

William Shakespeare (Author), Alfre Woodard, Christopher Cazenove, David Warner, Edward Herrmann, Elliott Gould, Jean Smart, Joel Grey, Julian Sands, Juliet Mills, Kelsey Grammer, Michael York, Minnie Driver, Patrick Macnee, Robert Foxworth, Roger Rees, Roscoe Lee Browne, Samantha Eggar, Stephanie Beacham, Susan Anspach, Vanessa Redgrave (Narrator)

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The Muse in the Body: A Collection of Erotic Poetry

"How have women poets approached the question of eros throughout history? This collection explores the poetry of both physical and spiritual longing and fulfillment from ancient Greece to New York's East Village. In 50 poems, more than a dozen women poets express all the facets of desire. Included in this collection are Sappho, Mirabai, Hilda Dolittle [H.D.], Emily Dickinson, Anne Waldman, Olga Broumas, Brenda Coultas, Julie Patton, Eleni Siké lianò s, and Marina Tsvetayeva, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winners Jorie Graham, Mary Oliver, and Anne Sexton."

Catherine Barnett (Author), Anne Waldman (Narrator)

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Collection: Great Narrative Poems of the Romantic Age

"Here are some of the finest narrative poems in the English language, dating from an age of rich inspiration: the nineteenth century. All tell powerful stories of human passion and endeavour, often reflected in vivid evocations of the medieval world. Includes 'The Eve of St Agnes' Le Morte d'Arthur and 'Peter Grimes'"

Alfred Lord Tennyson, George Crabbe, John Keats, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Morris, William Wordsworth (Author), John Moffatt, Samuel West, Sarah Woodward (Narrator)

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The Poetry of William Butler Yeats

"William Butler Yeats's early poetry is suffused with the radiant lyricism of Irish folklore and myth; the yearning romance and distinctly Irish voice of these first works of the Nobel laureate have inspired scores of poets. This splendid selection offers a distinctive sampling of the Yeatsian voice. Among the many famed works included are 'The Everlasting Voices,' 'Reconciliation,' and 'The Song of the Wandering Aengus.' Each of these poems is filled with the sparkling magic and mysticism Yeats absorbed as a boy in Ireland. This sweetness is juxtaposed against an anguished realism grounded in the master poet's nationalist and political sympathies."

William Butler Yeats (Author), Stephanie Beacham (Narrator)

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3 Dozen Poems: From the Writer's Almanac

"The favorite poems from Garrison Keillor's daily radio program The Writer's Almanac. Selections include: - Ge Mig En Dag (Scandinavian traditional) - Abecedary (Thomas Disch) - Old Mother Hubbard (traditional) - Frankenstein (Edward Field) - Names of Horses (Donald Hall) - To One Who Asked Me Why I Love J.G. (Ephelia) - What I Learned from My Mother (Julie Kasdorf) - When Adam Was Created (anonymous) - Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day? (William Shakespeare) - Casey Jones (anonymous) - I Think to Live (Emily Dickenson) - Fallacy of Experience (William Harmon) - Crocodile (William Jay Smith) - Spring (Mary Oliver) - I Go Back to May, 1937 (Sharon Olds) - Language of Crows (Louis Jenkins)"

Writer's Almanac (Author), Garrison Keillor (Narrator)

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Canterbury Tales, Vol. 1 (Modern English Verse Translation)

"Chaucer's greatest work, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, paints a brilliant picture of medieval life, society, and values. The stories range from the romantic, courtly idealism of The Knight's Tale to the joyous bawdy of the Miller's; all are told with a freshness and vigour in this modern verse translation that make them a delight to hear."

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Various Readers (Narrator)

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The Pied Piper of Hamelin and Other Favourite Poems

"Here are sixty of the finest and most entertaining poems for younger listeners. There are nonsense poems ('The Jumblies') classic animal poems ('The Snail') stories of adventure ('The Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens') and Robert Browning's classic tale of adults getting their come-uppance - The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Modern poetry also makes its contribution with wordplay ('Zoe's Ear-rings') and images of nature ('Weathers'). Though principally aimed at eight to thirteen-year-olds, this is a collection to delight listeners young and old alike."

Various Authors (Author), Anne Harvey, Anton Lesser, Jan Fielden, Katinka Wolf (Narrator)

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Collection: Great Poets of the Romantic Age

"The Tyger... I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud... Ode to the West Wind... The Rime of the Ancient Mariner... Ode to a Nightingale... We'll go no more a-roving... The Peasant Poet 'All good poetry,' wrote Wordsworth, 'is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings' and this was to be one of the hallmarks of the Romantic poets. With a dynamic spirit, these great English poets made a conscious return to nostalgia and spiritual depth. Each chose a different path, but they are united in a love of moods, impressions, scenes, stories, sights and sounds. In this collection of more than forty poems are some of the finest and most memorable works in the English language."

Various Authors (Author), Michael Sheen, Nicolas Soames (Narrator)

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The Book of Psalms

"The Psalms are a unique portion of the Old Testament—150 songs and poems—that cover a wide range of emotions to express the heart and essence of humanity. Written over several centuries by multiple authors, these Psalms illustrate the theology and worship of the Israelites, imparting lessons through the ages. This reading uses the King James Version of the Bible—a translation whose language is praised as some of the greatest poetry ever written—and is enhanced by actor Michael York's performance."

Michael York (Author), Michael York (Narrator)

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Poetry Audiobooks in Literature