The Poets' Corner

The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family

By: John Lithgow

Narrated by: Morgan Freeman, Susan Sarandon, Helen Mirren, Glenn Close, Gary Sinese, John Lithgow

Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

From listening to his grandmother recite epic poems from memory to curling up in bed while his father read funny verses, award-winning actor John Lithgow grew up with poetry. Ever since, John has been an enthusiastic seeker of poetic experience, whether reading, reciting, or listening to great poems.

The wide variety of carefully selected poems in this book provides the perfect introduction to appeal to listeners new to poetry, and for poetry lovers to experience beloved verses in a fresh, vivid way. William Blake, Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allan Poe, and Dylan Thomas are just a few names among Lithgow's comprehensive list of poetry masters. His essential criterion is that "each poem's light shines more brightly when read aloud."

This unique package provides a multimedia poetry experience with a bonus MP3 CD of revelatory poetry readings by John and the familiar voices of such notable performers as Eileen Atkins, Kathy Bates, Glenn Close, Billy Connolly, Jodie Foster, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Lynn Redgrave, Susan Sarandon, Gary Sinise, and Sam Waterston. Every listener will enjoy reciting or listening to these poems with the entire family, appreciating how each one comes to life through the spoken word in this superlative poetry collection.

©2007 The Watershed Company (P)2007 Hachette Audio

Fantastic slice of well known pieces

Professionally polished. My current fall back I've enjoyed this weekly. My go to for a bite.

Well rounded reintroduction. I love poetry again.

Having been away from the word I found myself searching for audio books to pull me in . This has done that and more. A scope covered that inspires me to explore life more fully. The most memmorable was the reading of Gertrude Steins portrait poem of Picasso. It reset my bored mind and made me laugh as I was visualizing Picasso animated by the words. Thank you

This book has made me enjoy poetry

John Lithgow's short introduction to each poet is just enough to place writing in context, and get you interested. Having poems read by many talented voices is a great idea, but I am glad that it is Lithgow commenting on the poem afterwards. Insightful , witty. I have listened to this book over and over again.

Loved it

John Lithgow's narration is pleasant & informative. Every poem speaks for itself. I'd recommend to anyone who ilikes poetry, & wants to know about the poets.

Good anthology

This is a decent anthology to listen to if you perhaps are looking to remember or learn about a range of poets who wrote in English. Lithgow is an actor and a performer so the collection skews a bit towards poetry that is easier to perform, and also light verse/comedic poems (Lewis Carroll, Gilbert, etc). You can sort of tell when a poet is included to round out the collection than because Lithgow likes the work. That said, a poet like Hart Crane sticks out at me after listening to this book and his poems are the antithesis of light verse: difficult, serious, modern.

Excellence

Informative! Well performed! Captivating! Hear about the poets lives and history intermingled with their poems recited perfectly while feeling inspired and anxious to hear the next.

Great compilation

Well assembled with excellent narration about the poets and poems. I liked the references as to where I could get more information on the poets in this book.

The best poetry class 😊

I feel like I was let in on so many secrets. I really enjoyed the back stories . John's optimistic nature and his love for these poems was delightful .

Get it

A great selection of poetry read by find voices you will find familiar. Devoured it.

A fantastic springboard into poetry.

Lithgow takes 50 of his favorite poems and presents them to the listener in an informative format. There is a chapter for each poet and they are arranged in alphabetical order by the poet's last name. At the beginning of each chapter the poet is given a succinct description. For example, "Edgar Allen Poe, poet of the macabre." Lithgow gives a brief bio of each poet and then the poem is read by one of many well known actors. After the poem is read, Lithgow does some analysis of the poem and shares the titles of other "favorite " poems by the same poet and some additional resources for more information on that poet.

I loved the format as it allowed me to sample "The Best Of" so many poets. I will absolutely listen to this again and again. I will also be digging deeper into the works few of my favorite poets.