Richard Burton Reads the Poetry of Thomas Hardy

By: Thomas Hardy

Narrated by: Richard Burton

Richard Burton, the multi-award winning actor, reads the finest work of Thomas Hardy.©2008 Saland Publishing (P)2008 Saland Publishing

Excellent!

If you could sum up Richard Burton Reads the Poetry of Thomas Hardy in three words, what would they be?

Totally awesome performance

What did you like best about this story?

Outstanding reading of some excellent poems. I will listen to this many more times.

Which scene was your favorite?

not applicable

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

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definitive reader of poetry!!!

uncomparable voice, magical, every single syllable. ,lf someone thinks they don't like poetry find the Richard Burton version if possible then ask them again.

Hardy and Burton both deserve better than this

Audible has done a disservice to both Hardy and Burton. Neither man lived to see the digital age, and these recordings no doubt were originally released on vinyl. The titles of the poems are not listed, nor does Burton recite the title at the beginning of each poem. Furthermore, there is minimal pause between poems, making it difficult to determine when one poem ends and the next one begins. I found myself concentrating so much on locating the brief pause that signals the end of the poem that I regularly lost the poem’s train of thought. Hardy’s Collected poems runs to over 800 pages, making it difficult to locate the text of any particular poem. (I have read the entire Collected Poems, but how many readers out there even have a copy?) It’s as if these poems are presented more as elevator music rather than as the masterpieces they are. Indeed, Burton’s delivery is, as one would expect, entirely informed, elegant, clear, and profound. He understands the poems and gives them their proper due in his inimitable style. This should be a treasure but it comes across confusingly.