Other books that might interest you

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  Flowers of Evil

  Charles Baudelaire

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  The Flowers of Evil (Les Fleurs du Mal) is a collection of poems by Charles Baudelaire influential on several levels.  Fellow artists were impressed and unsettled when it was published in 1857; one described the effect as “immense, prodigious, unexpected, mingled with admiration and some indefinable anxious fear”.  Admirers included Victor Hugo and Gustave Flaubert, who wrote “you are as unyielding as marble and as penetrating as English mist”.  The general public, however, was scandalized by the themes of sex and death and frank treatment of subjects such as lesbianism, which led to a prosecution of Baudelaire, his publisher and printer for offenses against publish morals.   The conviction resulted in a fine and the removal of six poems. A second edition was released in 1861 that deleted the offending poems and added 35 poems, including a new section, Parisian Scenes, which described the effects of modernization symbolized by the identical streets and buildings taking shape during the renovation of Paris and a resulting alienation and estrangement as well as a sense of loss. On a stylistic level, the collection introduced a kind of highly ordered prose poetry and the use of a cynical and ironic voice that broke with Romantic traditions by acknowledging moral complexity, urban corruption, loss of innocence, and indulging in sensual and aesthetic pleasures.  The work captures the fleeting sense of life and beauty in the emerging urban industrial world for which Baudelaire coined the term modernity and has had a lasting influence that continues to be an inspiration to this day.

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  The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

  J. R. R. Tolkien

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  Tolkien’s acclaimed modern classic ‘fairie’ tale, read by Derek Jacobi. 
  ‘Here is something that no devotee of the Hobbit epic can afford to miss, while awaiting a further instalment of the history of these fascinating people – a selection [of verses] offered as an ‘interim report’ to those interested in Hobbit-lore, and to any others who may find amusement in this mixed bag of old confections.’ 
  One of the most intriguing characters in The Lord of the Rings, the amusing and enigmatic Tom Bombadil, also appears in verses said to have been written by Hobbits and preserved in the ‘Red Book’ with stories of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and their friends. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil collects these and other poems, mainly concerned with legends and jests of the Shire at the end of the Third Age. 
  This special edition has been expanded to include earlier versions of some of Tolkien’s poems, a fragment of a prose story with Tom Bombadil, and comprehensive notes by acclaimed Tolkien scholars Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. 
  Bestselling author J. R. R. Tolkien's The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a short fiction that packs a punch. With every chapter, you are plunged deeper into a fantastical world of hobbits, princesses, dwarves, and trolls. 
  For fans of Andrzej Sapkowski (The Lady of the Lake), Frank Herbert (Dune), John Howe (A Middle-earth Traveller) and Robert Jordan (The Path Of Daggers).

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  If When

  Dana Arnold

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  IF / WHEN is a poetry album that highlights New York City and all its unpredictable moments of the divine.  Diana Arnold's audiobook is as funny as it is moving - as magical as it is challenging. Using a voice that evokes equal parts humor and heartache with original music composed and performed by Ryan Manchester, you can enjoy this poetry collection as it's meant to be heard - narrated by the poet herself!

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  The Poetry of John Donne - A...

  John Donne

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  John Donne was born on 22nd January 1572 in London into a Roman Catholic family when Catholicism was illegal in England and there was turbulence and unrest with both state and church throughout much of Europe. His father, also named John, died when he was 4 and his mother, Elizabeth Heywood married a wealthy widower, ensuring the family were looked after. He received a good education in both Oxford and Cambridge but was unable to obtain a degree without taking the Oath of Supremacy, which as a Catholic, he refused to do. 
  During the 1590's Donne wrote a wide range of verse including both erotic and sacred poems, creating two major volumes of work. His strong, vivacious and sensual style fusing intellect and passion as well as inventive use of subtle argument and syntax provided a new radical perspective that reached beyond his contemporaries and continues to chime and charm poetry lovers throughout the ages. 
  Difficult to believe that with this enormous talent, Donne, lived in poverty for many years, exacerbated by his secret marriage to Ann More, which meant no dowry, and their having twelve children. Later he served in Parliament and became Dean of St Pauls in 1621, noted for his learned and charismatic sermons. 
  John Donne died in London on 31st March, 1631 but leaves an enormous legacy of many splendid and influential poems. He was known as the founder of the Metaphysical Poets and is widely regarded as one of Britain's best loved poets. 
  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.

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  Beautiful Soup

  Lewis Carroll

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  LibriVox volunteers bring you 18 different recordings of Beautiful Soup by Lewis Carroll. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of April 1st, 2007.

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  The Stuntman - Poems

  Brian Laidlaw

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  Musings on the modern epidemic of narcissism in “deadpan, witty poems that flash with plangent images and macabre moments” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). 
   
  “THE EARTH BROKE OPEN CAUSE WE BROKE IT OPEN,” blares the first line of this enrapturing debut collection mapping the myth of Narcissus and Echo and the Iron Range roots of Bob Dylan onto a world growing increasingly self-obsessed. Against the backdrop of the mining town of Hibbing, Minnesota, Brian Laidlaw examines the ways narcissism has flooded culture. Much like a “hawk has a horizontal sweet spot on its retina / for spotting prey on the prairie,” the speaker of these poems “has a narcissus / shaped sweet spot / all the better to spot himself.” 
   
  The volume comes combined with a brand new LP from Laidlaw produced by Brett Bullion, co-arranged by Hibbing native Danny Vitali, and featuring members of The Pines and Halloween, Alaska. Expanding on the themes addressed in The Stuntman, the album provides listeners an innovative multimedia experience. 
   
  “[A] gorgeous debut.” —Chris Martin

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