5 comments about And Still I Rise: A Selection of Poems Read by the Author.

1. This book is filled with wonderful, powerful poetry that really awakened me to the troubles of African Americans in that time of history. Diego Rivera's paintings in the book are staggering and breathtaking. This is a must-see for any ameteur or lover of poetry.



2. ...Invictus is by William E. Henley......I do not like much poetry.....but 'Still I Rise', is one of the most moving and powerful pieces of literature of our day. You can feel the rumblings of motivation rising within you as you read it---it summons the power of our ancestors as you read it... YOU FEEL this poem with all your heart--or I fear you have no heart and you remember that feeling for years after you have read it!
   It is a magnificent poem that the author not only wrote, but earned through her own life.
   This book would make excellent Christmas gifts of inspiration.



3. This audiobook arrived in about a week and was in the condition advertised. Overall, I was satisfied with the transaction and would purchase from this seller again.



4. Maya Angelou's reading of poetry is moving to the point ot tears and laughter. I highly recommend it.



5. Maya Angelou's poetry is so phenomenal. And the power of her voice reading her own words, is really moving.

5 comments about The Aeneid.

1. This is a review of the CD audio book version of Robert Fagles' translation of Virgil's Aeneid.
   
   Victorian Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once quipped, "My wife is a lovely woman, but she can never remember which came first: the Greeks or the Romans." The Greeks "came first" in two senses. Their civilization produced great works of literature, philosophy and art when Rome was still a primitive village, and although the Romans later conquered the Greek world their cultural achievements never quite matched those of Greece, and they knew it.
   
   The Aeneid is an epic poem that tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan who flees his city as it is being sacked by the Greeks. (The story of the Trojan Horse is actually not in the Iliad, but there is a moving account of it in the Aeneid.) Aeneas wanders for many years and eventually comes to Italy and founds what becomes Roman civilization. Aeneas is thus conquered by the Greeks, but founds the civilization that will conquer them. And this poem about Aeneas is meant to rival the Iliad (with its accounts of battles) and the Odyssey (with its accounts of the wanderings of its hero on his way home).
   
   The Aeneid is also a commentary on the politics of the era in which it was composed. Virgil lived in the time when the Roman Republic had come to an end and Octavian had succeeded Caesar as emperor. Aeneas is the supposed founder of the Roman royal line, so in honoring him Virgil is honoring his patron. And Octavian came to power only after a period of warfare (just like Aeneas). Further parallels are provided by the relationship between Aeneas and Dido, Queen of Carthage. Aeneas and Dido fall in love, and he is tempted to stay with her. But he remembers his sacred duty to found a new empire in Italy, so he leaves her behind. (I don't want to spoil the story for you, but what happens with Dido after Aeneas leaves her is one of the most famous parts of the Aeneid.) Carthage was a city that fought two wars with Rome. (Remember Hannibal leading the elephants over the alps? That was the Carthaginians.) So Aeneas's psychological victory over the temptations of Carthage foreshadows the later conflict between the empires. Furthermore, Octavian's rule was secure only after he defeated Mark Anthony. Mark Anthony allowed himself to be seduced by a foreign queen (Cleopatra in this case). So in showing Aeneas's resolve against the temptations of a foreign queen, Virgil is condemning Octavian's opponent.
   
   The Aeneid is considered one of the greatest works (perhaps THE greatest) of Latin literature. It was so highly esteemed that it was sometimes used as a book of divination: you opened it up to a random page and stuck your finger on a line, which was your "fortune." (I tried it: apparently I am going to be shot dead with an arrow by a goddess.)
   
   As a story, I find the Aeneid good but uneven. Parts of it are quite gripping. In addition to some of the events I've mentioned, the account of Aeneid's visit to the underworld, and the poetically appropriate punishments that the vicious receive, is engaging. We can see why Dante was so inspired by it that, in the Divine Comedy, he makes Virgil be his guide through Hell. At his worst, though, Virgil can be a bit bombastic. This isn't helped by the actor who reads the text for this audio book. His delivery reminds one of a stodgy British professor delivering a commencement address.
   
   The CD case includes a booklet with the introduction to Fagles' translation by classicist Bernard Knox. This is very helpful, situating Virgil in his time, summarizing the poem (I found this useful as a review after having listened to the whole thing), and offering some personal reflections on the meaning Virgil has for him.
   
   In the final analysis, the Aeneid is very good, but not as great as the Iliad or the Odyssey. I guess the Greeks do still "come first."



2. I understand that many readers in the United States find Robert Fagles' translation easy to read. Some likely appreciate his use of colloquialisms. A reader with a European accent surely wasn't the best choice for this translation.
   
   Most importantly, Penguin should never have allowed this audio book to leave its shop in the present condition. Sometimes Mr. Callow was so loud that my ears hurt and at other times he sort of muttered. Some of his presentation was enjoyable, but I gave up on the second CD. I use a reasonably good sound system to listen to audio books and have never before had such difficulty.



3. I don't think that anyone could ask for a better presentation of Virgil's classic. Fagles's translation is scintillating. When I listen to a work like this I generally simultaneously read or consult a number of translations, and Fagles definitely has created a wondrous and exceptional work in English. Simon Callow's rendition is simultaneously exhilarating and haunting. Highly recommended.



4. I just started this book, and have really been looking forward to it. Now Im so disapointed because I cant understand it because of the readers dramatic reading. I am still listening but Im in the market for another copy read by someone else. rb



5. I think that Robert Fagles is one of the best translator of Greek and Latin in the past 50 years. I thought that the Odyssey, read by Ian McKellen, was superb, although Homer's Epic was meant to be heard. Virgil's was meant to be read, but, with the enjoyment I had listening to the Odyssey, I thought that I would give the Aeneid a try. What a horrible, horrible mistake! Simon Callow makes the Aeneid virtually intolerable. He reads Virgil's Epic as if he is mocking over-acting. In fact, if this were offered as a parody of bad reading, then most would believe it was simply too hyperbolic even to be funny. No professional reader should ever over-act this badly nor should Penguin Audio Books allow such a travesty to actually be recorded! Honestly, a high school drama student could have rendered a finer job.
   The book is wonderful. The audio book is worse that I can describe!

5 comments about Dylan Thomas: The Caedmon Collection.

1. It sounds like Dylan Thomas is in the room. His voice is clear. Poems are fabulous. Introductions are informative and interesting.



2. No other poet I know of -reads his own poetry as well as does Dylan Thomas.
   There is the rich melliflousness and the booming strength- there is the mystery of the sounded word made musical. There is too the dramatic play and fun of a large childlike soul , suddenly sad and then in an instant mockingly critical.
   Poetry is the deepest expression of feeling in words.
   In this sense Thomas is an especially poet , whose poems can be felt not only when read in silence, but most especially when sounded by his own majestic and magnificent voice.



3. Excellent cd series.
   Thomas' pipe-organ voice resonates on every track.
   His wit and humor pushes the envelope for its time. Bobby socksers,the hang-over of those early Cold War years,post war America full of booms and busts and Levit-towns. Picture too a staid America, the 1950s campus life just before "the Cool" hit, before the Folk revival scene, pre Beats.
   
   Now enter the mop-headed Welsh bard replete with his double entendre openings to audiences. Audiences who are mostly undergrads and academics. Thomas has them laughing in all the right places ... its poetry without a laugh track or safety net.
   
   The readings are good, the explantions sometimes meandering but always enjoyable and highly listenable.
   
   Recommend this to any school teachers, lovers of poetry, Britophiles, students... with a willingness to sit back, listen and have a master of the craft weave vistas of Welsh seaside villages, lush countrysides, closed gray coal pits, lecherous and harmless characters and everywhere there are forests to see for the trees.



4. What a great treasure! Here you have Dylan Thomas and that incomparable voice of his all together in one spectacularly priced collection.
   
   Never have I heard anyone able to express emotion and feeling with their voice like Dylan Thomas does. The only one who comes close is Richard Burton.
   
   Buy it. Sit back. Relax and be carried away by the sheer beauty and power of one man's words and voice.



5. The richness of his words create wonderfully clear pictures in your mind. He takes you "there", wherever "there" is, with effortless ease.

5 comments about Voice of the Poet: Robert Frost (Voice of the Poet).

1. It was thrilling to hear Robert Frost's voice and delivery of 36 of his beloved poems. I was able to hear every word, every chuckle, every pause as they were intended to be by this great poet.



2. In this series "The Voice of the Poet" America's most popular poet of the Twentieth Century, Robert Frost, reads 36 of his poems if you consider "Forgive, O Lord" a poem. Whatever it is, it is one of my favorite things that Frost ever wrote:
   
   Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee
   And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me.
   
   J. D. McClatchy, the series editor, includes his brief bio of Frost in the booklet containing all the poems on the CD that the poet reads aloud. Much of what McClatchy recounts is known to devotees of Mr. Frost, his early success, his very difficult private life, the misunderstandings that many people have about him, his life in New England. McClatchy describes Frost as "a Puritan without a God." He says that some of the readings are as old as 1930, that Frost gave some of them in 1962 and that they are released here for the first time. If my memory serves me right, I liked the Caedmon recording of Frost's reading better LP better but I cannot offer specifics as to why.
   
   But to the poems. If you are hearing this divine poet read for the first time, it's a little like the first time you saw the ocean. Certainly poems should be read aloud; and usually who is better qualified to read his poetry than the writer, himself? Frost's voice resonates, and you will hear it long after you have listened to the CD: "Provide, provide, one could do worst than be a swinger of birches," etc.
   
   Frost reads many of his most beloved poems here: "Fire and Ice," "Nothing Gold Can Stay," "Birches," "The Road Not Taken," "Neither Out Far Nor In Deep" the darker poems, "Acquainted With The Night" and "Desert Places." Then there is "The Gift Outright" that Frost read from memory at the inauguration of President John Kennedy after he was unable to read the poem he had written for the occasion.
   
   Finally Frost reads what to me is his best poem and one of the great poems of American literature, "The Death of the Hired Man." Silas, who has worked for Warren in the past, not wanted by his brother, with "nothing to look backward to with pride,/And nothing to look forward to with hope," has come back to the farm to die, "a miserable sight." The tension between the hard-nosed Warren and his kinder, gentler wife Mary is palpable. Every line of this dramatic poem is perfect. From it we get the conflicting definitions of home:
   
   'Home is the place where, when you have to go there,
   They have to take you in.'
   
   'I should have called it
   Something you haven't to deserve.'
   
   Finally
   
   'But, Warren, please remember how it is:
   He's come to help you ditch the meadow.
   He has a plan. You mustn't laugh at him.
   He may not speak of it, and then he may.
   I'll sit and see if that small sailing cloud
   Will hit or miss the moon.'
   
   It hit the moon.
   
   Then there were three there, making a dim row,
   The moon, the little silver cloud, and she.
   
   Warren returned--too soon, it seemed to her,
   Slipped to her side, caught her by the hand and waited.
   
   'Warren?' she questioned.
   
   'Dead,' was all he answered.
   
   Poetry doesn't get a lot better than this. Frost once said that a poem should begin in delight and end in wisdom. Certainly that is true of "The Death of the Hired Man" and much of his other work as well. The reader/hearer who believes that Frost's very accessible poetry with its natural speech rhythms is simple does so at his peril. As McClatchy concludes in his notes, Frost is "ultimately a poet of loss and limitation and loneliness, of desolation and extinction." But he is indeed such a great one.



3. I love this cd - it's fabulous. In response to some of the other reviews - of course the sound quality isn't great - he died in the 1960's, and was quite old. I'm grateful someone put together this collection with the recordings they had available. I've had no trouble hearing each and every word, and was not aware that there weren't enough pauses in between the tracks.
   
   Did he read too fast? I doubt it. The one who wrote the poetry reads it as it's supposed to be read, imho. It's fascinating to hear how it would've come out of his own head.
   
   I highly recommend it.



4. I bought this for my wife who had raved about Frost for ages.When I saw that we could get him reading his work I thought this better tha book. To have him read while I read the text is a sheer delight,how the words LIVE.
   Thank you.



5. Frost has never been one of my favourite poets / writers, though I do read and enjoy him and appreciate a lot of his work constitutes a landmark in 20th century literature. In terms of voice I didn't know what to expect. I put the cd in my laptop and my attention was grabbed from the moment he started reciting until the recording was over. It is now apparent to me that Frost was a master storyteller and this recording has actually increased my appetite for his work. Recommended to anyone interested in poetry performance.

4 comments about Hafiz: The Scent of Light.

1. The poetry of Hafiz is beautiful, delicate and hits you right between the eyes.
   I came to Hafiz via Rumi and while I can't easily tell you that one or the other is better, it is Hafiz I go back to most often for his purity, love, enthusiasm, humor, grit and how he can grab you when and where you dont expect.
   The poems on this CD are read with a seductive love that suits the content, every poem convincing me more and again that it is by love we see the face of God, in anything.
   Obviously, I love this CD. Not all Rumi fans are so easily shifted in their loyalty... but it's worth the time to find out how you feel about Hafiz.



2. Beautiful beyond my expectations! When this arrived I popped it into the CD player to check it out (I took a chance on buying it) - I immediately realized it wasn't for casual listening, so I sat down to REALLY listen - and appreciate. It was worth every minute! When you are feeling quiet (or want to be) - treat yourself to this - it's very Heart-Centering!



3. I had never read Hafiz before purchasing this disk, but now you can say that I am enamored. Music accompanies the written word to make the flow lovely.



4. I ADORE this CD!!!
   Immersing oneself in Hafiz's verse this way is such a perfect way to experience the beauty of his poerty. I have listened to this CD about 25-30 times now and yet each time a new depth in my heart is touched.
   This CD is most likely not for everyone. It speaks only to those ripe and ready to open to the ancient and estatic wonders of Hafiz's poetry.
   I implore the creators to PLEASE DO MORE of these wonderful CDs and make sure Nataraja Killio is "THE VOICE." His is the perfect voice for Hafiz's works.

5 comments about The Iliad.

1. Where is Book X? One of the most exciting and heroic stories is cut from the reading: the night raid by Odysseus and Diomedes. Although the reading is well done, the absence of so much of the poem destroys the original intent. Pass on this one.
   Also, Penguin Press is misleading in that Jakobi is not the sole reader. There is a woman who reads as well. It sounds like this one was pieced together. A shoddy job really.



2. I recall asking a bookseller years ago if he had the Jacobi audio narration of The Iliad in his store. His response, "We don't do audio. Bookstores are for books." Fine and dandy. But The Iliad was an oral poem to begin with, and for those who want to hear it, regardless of having read it or not, there is no better place to start. Yes, it is abridged, but the choice of abridgement seems sensible, though I would have preferred the poem in its entirety. Another reviewer refers to Jacobi, a mentor of Kenneth Branaugh, as the greatest living Shakespearean actor. Though there are many fine Shakespearean actors currently performing around the world in dozens of fascinating roles, it is easy to imagine that Jacobi is one of the finest. His reading of Homer's ILIAD is intense and riveting and a must for fans of the poem in English. PS: Check out Jacobi in his most brilliant performance as the lead in I CLAUDIUS (available on DVD and VHS) I, Claudius
   
   N.B. : this Robert Fagles translation/Derek Jacobi narrated audio version is also available on AUDIO CASSETTE The Iliad (Classics on Cassette)
   
   Sir Ian McKellen's very fine narration of Fagles' translation of The Odyssey in an unabridged CD The Odyssey by Homer and audio cassette recordings The Odyssey (Penguin Classics)
   
   Sir Derek Jacobi's narration of Allen Mandelbaum's translation of The Odyssey is available in abridged CD or audio cassette versions The Odyssey
   
   The brilliant actor/director/writer/narrator Simon Callow's unabridged reading of Robert Fagle's new translation of Virgil's Aeneid is another must-have for audio classics fans. The Aeneid



3. Robert Fagles translation of The Iliad is amazing. I really enjoyed Sir Derek Jacobi's reading presented here on these disks. My only problem with this product is that the book has been abridged. I wanted to purchase this item because I feel that it's important to HEAR the words of Homer spoken. This epic poem has been passed down through the generations by word of mouth, so it's best to HEAR the words spoken. I suggest listening to the audio recordings while reading the book. These audio recordings are wonderful but there's way too much missing. Penguin Books should of shown Robert Fagles translation (and Homer) more respect.
   
   The second chapter for instance is missing the last section often called, "the catalogue of ships." This is the part of the story where Homer lists all the Argenian armies which participated in the Trojan conflict. Okay, sure - it's sort of a boring section of the story. Still, it's an important part of the book! Possibly, one of the most historically significant sections of the story. This entire section has been cut from the audiotapes! The list of ships, which goes on and on, illustrates the vast army which was gathered by Agamemnon for the battle. You need to illustrate the overwhelming force the Trojans were facing to fully comprehend the battle.
   
   Anyway, I enjoyed the recording, but I just wish that Penguin Books would have presented an option to purchase an unabridged version of Robert Fagles translation. Be prepared to read the parts of the book not covered by the tapes. You should also rent some dvd documentaries on the Trojan War. It really helps flesh out the impact of the poem. Homer rocks!



4. The action is gripping, and the passions of the gods and mortals move us in Fagels's fine translation. You feel as if you knew these people. This performances of Derek Jacoby and Maria Tucci has brought this tale to life.
   
   I know other versions of this story: Gustave Schwab's GODS AND HEROES, which was read to me when I was young and which I read to my daughter; Richard Latimore's translation, in the edition illustrated by Leonard Baskin, a beautiful book. Robert Fagels's translation is simply the best.
   
   Listen to this performance if you want to capture the mad rush and the rich human feelings of it all. I have listened done so six times, many of these while climbing stairs at the gym. Also buy and read the book. As reviewers note, the cuts made in this abridgment are extensive. Reading the book will give you the full picture.
   
   Robert Fagels's translation of THE ODYSSEY is superb as well, and the performance by Ian McKellen is very different from Derek Jacobi's ILIAD, though equally compelling.



5. This recording is an awesome presentation of THE ILIAD. Derek Jacobi does
   and excellent job. The Iliad is suppose to be heard, not necessarily read. This CD is well worth the price. I listened to half of it on a trip and it was enthralling! jdm

5 comments about Midlife and the Great Unknown.

1. I bought this to listen to as we traveled through Scotland.(Seems like an odd plan, but I wanted to do some reflection on my own mid-life.) I LOVED it! David uses poetry in such a meaningful manner, and he's an excellent story-teller. I've listened to this many times since that trip, and each time I REALLY listen. I have to say that I am a little better for the listening.



2. A friend told me he was going to listen to David Whyte and it intrigued me enough to look him up and download this CD for a long drive this weekend. I find myself rather numb from the depth and breadth of it all. So very much to think about and what its implications are in my life that I'll be having to relisten many times I'm sure (I've already listened twice). He gives us his experiences with such clarity I can almost smell the Celtic grasses under his feet and feel the mists swirling around his vision, occasionally parting for a view of distant and promising lands. This wrapped up in his and others poetry that he reads and his reflections about it has caused me to further explore new poets, to talk about them with my friends, and to ask what can we do with this. David has obviously thought about such matters deeply and I can think of no higher tribute to a person than they made me think profoundly about profound matters.
   
   A NEW NOTE OF CAUTION: I purchased this as an introduction to David Whyte, thinking if I liked this "unabridged" version I'd buy his "Clear Mind, Wild Heart" (CMWH) audio. Long story short: this is actually CD 2 and 3 of CMWH. I think this is like taking all the odd chapters of a Tale of Two Cities, renaming it "Story of a Town (Unabridged)". It is misleading labeling. I will keep the five stars because it is an amazing foray into poetry and life in general but beware--if you're thinking you'll buy CMWH then go straight there. Fortunately the audio download server with a name almost identical to the publisher of this CD refunded my money so I could just buy the 6 CD set.



3. As awkward as it might be to consider oneself at mid-life, it is a genuine relief to have such a clear and open-hearted guide such as David Whyte help make sense of it all. This CD is profound and inspiring. I could listen to Mr. Whyte's voice all day long. He draws on not only poetry (his own and that of others), but on basic life observations and recollections. The only caution I'll give is that some material seems to be lifted directly from another of his CDs, entitled "Clear Mind: Wild Heart". It's possible that it's just the same words and themes...I haven't done a side-by-side comparison. The duplication is a bit disconcerting, but has more to do with the publisher than the author. Anyway, David Whyte's talents are amazing, and this material is one that I'll listen to again and again. Best wishes,



4. This CD is one that you will want to listen to over and over again, and with friends. It is not just for people in midlife, it is for anyone in life. Get it and you will learn what life is all about and how to live it.



5. I wish the "midlife" reference were not in the title as it made me hesitate and delay trying this product for way too long. It is such an exquisite treat and so powerful in way more ways than I can convey through words. David Whyte's uniquely powerful delivery adds further punch to his great insights that reach ever deeper the more one listens. Thus I found it amazing the first time I listened and keep being blown away by finding it ever more powerful every time I listen. In addition to the content, the place David Whyte speaks from is itself profoundly impactful. At the time I ended up deciding to buy this product I had greatly lamented Amazon not selling David Whyte's "poetry of self-compassion" as I had adored that tape. Although I still regret not having yet been able to find it on CD as it is even more powerful yet, I am so glad that it ended up pushing me into giving this product a try as both are invaluable and well worth owning and repeatedly listening to over the years as special treats that get ever better over time.

5 comments about At Blackwater Pond: Mary Oliver Reads Mary Oliver.

1. I enjoying hearing my favorite poems read aloud, especially by the author. This collection has some wonderful pieces, but I wouldn't recommend listening to all of it at one sitting, it starts to sound repetitious.



2. Mary Oliver is a Pulitzer Prize winning poet. Non-dogmatic spirituality quietly grabs you through her Zen awareness of the here and now. In and of themselves, her poems are passionate. Having her read them aloud is an extra bonus. This is a great collection to listen to when stuck in a traffic jam or when settling down at night for a peaceful sleep. Mary Oliver reading Mary Oliver. It's like pie a la mode!



3. Mary Oliver is certainly one of our finest contemporary poets. Her terse and sparse use of language in effect widens our horizons as we readers are able to expand our vision through her creative work.
   This CD has ample examples of her poetry, from several different volumes, and the listener can accompany the readings with personal copies of the published works. Oliver's ability to use the natural settings of her New England environment to state something profound about the human condition is one of her gifts. To see in the ordinary what is unforgettable, is another. Her language is visual, so that we see what she describes in new ways. This collection of poems, read by the poet, is a classic and one to be treasured and listened to over and over.



4. A wonderful collection from a wonderful career - and hopefully there are many more collections to come.
   Sound quality is generally extremely good, 'though one or two tracks seem to be down on level, but hearing the poet read her own work gives the listener/reader that added benefit.
   Essential listening.



5. Listening to Mary Oliver read her own poetry is a joyful, serene experience. "Wild Geese" is one poem that I could hear several times each day. I am grounded by listening to Mary Oliver.

5 comments about The Odyssey by Homer.

1. I thought that this is perhaps the best audio book I have ever listened to, rivaled only by John Cleese's reading of C. S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters. Ian McKellon, whom most know primarily through his role as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, reads with the same epic sounding voice that he employed in the Lord of the Rings (as oppossed to less epic sounding voice inflection he employed in Xmen). Somehow his voice just sounds as ancient and mythical as the Odyssey itself. I cannot imagine a better reader for this book. I wish he had done the Iliad as well.
   
   As for the translation itself, I must disagree with those who claim that it is the best. It is, I grant you, better than the thoroughly modernized versions like W. H. D. Rouse's, but I think it is (very) slightly too modernized. Phrases like shilly-shallying or other modern phrases simply do not belong in ancient texts like the Odyssey. That said, they did keep that type of language to a minimum, and the only better translation I have come across is Richard Lattimore's. For the most part this translation keeps the epic feel that the Odyssey should have, and Ian McKellen's voice only adds to this. I highly recommend this version. It is one of the few audio books I think is worth a second listen.
   
   Overall grade: A+



2. The Trojan War is over and one of our hero kings is lost. His son (Telemachus) travels to find any information about his father's fait. His wife (Penelope) must cunningly hold off suitors that are eating them out of house and home.
   
   If he ever makes it home Odysseus will have to detect those servants loyal from those who are not. One absent king against rows of suitors; how will he give them their just deserts? We look to Bright Eyed Pallas Athena to help prophecy come true.
   
   Interestingly all the tales of monsters and gods on the sea voyage was told by Odysseus. Notice that no on else survives to tell the tale. So we have to rely on Odysseus' word.
   
   Many movies took sections of The Odyssey, and expanded them to make interesting stories those selves.
   
   Not just the story but the way in which it is told will keep you up late at night reading.



3. I'll not waste any time of yours with long and deserving praise for this telling of an ancient story, other than to say that should another day pass where you have stolen from yourself the opportunity to listen to this master storyteller lead you through a story written by a master, then only the Gods can forgive you.
   
   Sir Ian Mckellan's performance is measured and beautiful, and there is no shame in a tear falling at the meeting of father and son for the emotion that comes through this practiced orator. I can say with a fair amount of confidence that the bards of old must have sounded like this - masters of their craft and able to bring the imaginations of their audience to life.
   
   Not a moment longer - a treat awaits you...



4. For thousands of years this story has been told and retold.
   The reason this story is still being told and still being heard is because it is so exciting and so very compelling.
   It never grows old.
   I have read and enjoyed this story from a leather bound book, but it is best heard spoken from a human voice. Ian McKellen is qualified as a modern day bard.
   
   Unlike most movies and books of today, once will not be enough.
   Those who listen to it will not be disappointed.



5. Really liked this, the reading was outstanding and great translation by Robert Fagles. My son really enjoyed listening to it on a long road trip after plus it added to his understanding while he was reading it for English Class. I highly recommend this product.

5 comments about Billy Collins Live: A Performance at the Peter Norton Symphony Space.

1. My high school students fell in love with Collins. Even the chronically apathetic perked up during his reading... use this in your classroom, and follow it up with selections from Poetry 180. You'll be glad you did.



2. This is a figure of speech of course - once upon a time... never mind, but you'd burn your dinner or if it's cooked, then the food on your fork will miss you mouth, if you try to cook or eat as you listen to Billy Collins read. It's a treat.



3. As always, Billy Collins is above and beyond in his poetry readings. Great humor, great heart and an accessibility rarely found in intellectual circles! You will fall in love with him and with poetry all over again.



4. I heard Billy Collins speak in Wellington early one chilly Sunday morning. He commented that he was amazed anyone would want to get out of bed and listen to him on such a cold day ...he wouldn't! Of course we all thought it worth the effort, nothing beats hearing a really superb poet reading his own work superbly.I heartily recommend this cd, it's always in the most played pile near my cd player and on my ipod,so that I can listen to him any time.
   A great selection of his work and interesting pre-ambles before each poem.



5. If you can get past an idiotic short introduction by Bill Murray, you'll enjoy a wonderful experience. Billy Collins has created true poetry that will make you think and laugh.