Other books that might interest you

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  Robert Burns 250th Anniversary

  Various

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  Robert Burns, the national bard (poet) of Scotland was born on the 25th January, 1759. Scotland and all Burns fans the world over, including Librivox, were celebrating the 250th anniversary of Burns' birthday throughout 2009 and it seemed only proper to record a collection of his poems and songs. This collection also includes works from other poets and writers who have written about Burns. (Summary by Joseph Finkberg)

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  The Book of Thel

  William Blake

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  A lesser-known masterpiece by the visionary English romantic poet, William Blake (The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; Songs of Innocence and Experience)! 
  In comparison to Blake's later prophetic books, The Book of Thel is relatively short and is easier to understand; this edition is entertainingly read by producer-narrator Jason Rosette. 
  About the Book of Thel 
  The Book of Thel was most likely composed between 1788 and 1790. Composed of 14-syllable lines, this short poem was first published as a series of eight plates with illuminated text designed by Blake himself. Following an earlier, lesser-known poem, "Tiriel", The Book of Thel suggests a romantic-visionary response to the timeless question regarding the acquisition of wisdom and knowledge. The poem became known as one of Blake's “Prophetic Books” for its existential interrogations. 
  Summary 
  The poem follows Thel, a young shepherdess who wanders through a fantastical pastoral world called the Vales of Har, yearning to understand her purpose. Primarily concerned with her own mortality, various natural entities in her environment, including a cloud and a clod of dirt, offer her insights. The poem is significant for its animistic-natural representation of divinity and its direct handling of the question of existence. 
  About the author 
  William Blake (28 November 1757 - 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. What he called his prophetic works were said by 20th-century critic Northrop Frye to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language".

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  Rime of the Ancient Mariner

  Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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  A must-read classic!  The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the timeless story of what happens when a daring mariner ventures into Antartic waters.  When the storm approaches, adventure begins.  Experience this epic tale like you've never heard it before with crisp, gripping narration!

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  The Poetry Of William Blake

  William Blake

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  William Blake was born on 28th November 1757 in London to parents of modest income that could only afford a basic education of reading and writing although he did attend a drawing school for a short time.  His artistic skill was apparent relatively early and at the age of 14 he stopped working in his father’s hosiery shop and became an apprentice engraver.  This apprenticeship finished when he was 21 and at 25 he married Catherine Boucher.  He taught her to read and write and  together in 1789 they published Songs of Innocence with text and engravings printed from copper plates and illustrations finished by hand with watercolours.  It did not sell well and throughout his life he remained largely unrecognised often on the verge of poverty.  This led to a deep depression for many years and he was often considered mad by his contemporaries.  His creativity and imagination with its undercurrents of mysticism, spiritualism and philosophy are apparent in this selection of poems and whilst classed as a seminal figure in the Romantic Age it wasn’t until the late 19th century that his work was recognised.  The 20th century saw an even  greater appreciation of his poetry with Blake’s voyage beyond  the rational and material chiming with the Beat poets, Dylan, Van Morrison and Jim Morrison of the band the Doors , named after Blake’s phrase Doors of Perception from his poem Marriage of Heaven and Hell.  Further acclaim has been attributed to him from many scholars of art, psychology and of course literature.   His poems have inspired composers such as Vaughn Williams, Britten and Taverner  and Jerusalem a hymn still sung today.  Blake’s vivid and intense work is still relevant to all to this day and he is recognised as a saint in the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica.  William Blake died on 12th August 1827 and in 1957 a memorial was erected at Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey. Here we present two of his exceptionally fine epic poems.

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  Composed Among the Ruins of a...

  William Wordsworth

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  In celebration of Saint David's Day 2016 (or Dydd Dewi Sant), Librivox.org presents multiple readings of Composed Among the Ruins of a Castle in North Wales by William Wordsworth. Embodying the melancholy of the uniquely welsh word "hiraeth", which roughly translates as a sense of longing for a place that can never be returned to or that never was, this poem is a fitting tribute to the celebration of the patron saint of WalesSummary by Charlotte Duckett

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  The Brothers Karamazov

  Fyodor Dostoyevsky, David Fishelson

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  Playwright David Fishelson has adapted Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece The Brothers Karamazov  into a spellbinding full-cast drama. The passionate Karamazov brothers spring to life, led by their rogue of a father, who entertains himself by drinking, womanizing, and pitting his three sons against each other. The men have plenty to fight over, including the alluring Grushenka.
  
  An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring:
  
  John de Lancie as Ivan Karamazov
  Sharon Gless as Grushenka
  Arye Gross as Alyosha Karamazov
  Harry Hamlin as Dmitry Karamazov
  Kaitlin Hopkins as Katerina
  Joseph Mascolo as Fyodor
  Richard Hoyt Miller as Miusov/Waiter/Mussyalovich/Judge Sergeant
  John Randolph as Zossima/Visitor
  John Rubinstein as Smerdyakov
  Tom Virtue as Father Joseph/Pawnbroker/Vrublevsky/Prosecutor/Coachman
  Ping Wu as Rakitin/Father Paissy/Innkeeper/Defense Attorney
  
  Directed by David Fishelson. Recorded before a live audience at the Guest Quarters Suite Hotel, Santa Monica in June of 1994.

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