Harmonium

By: Wallace Stevens

Narrated by: John Burlinson

Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Harmonium was American poet Wallace Stevens's first book, published when he was 44 years old. It represents his complete poetic output up to that point in his life. It is now considered a masterpiece, one of the great contributions to literary Modernism. It is a mixture of pure, rational, philosophical thought, and imaginary nonsense-verse. It is striking in its diversity and includes some of Stevens' best known and most-loved poems: "Anecdote of the Jar,", "The Emperor of Ice Cream," "Le Monocle de Mon Oncle", "Sunday Morning", "The Snow Man" and perhaps his most famous poem, "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird."

When the book was published in 1923, critic Mark Van Doren wrote in The Nation that Stevens's wit "is tentative, perverse, and superfine; and it will never be popular." The past 100 years have revealed the inaccuracy of that prediction but judge for yourself. We believe that you will not be disappointed.

Public Domain (P)2022 Voices of Today

One must have the mind of Wallace

To regard this work takes effort.
For the listener beholds something that is not there and something that is.
We’ll read by Mr. John Burlinson!

Powerfully Performed

I've never really liked or disliked the poetry of Wallace Stevens. He gave us one immortal line, for sure: "Let be be finale of seem." I played the sample, which contains the great poem this line is from, "The Emperor of Ice Cream," and chose to spend a credit on the audiobook, not realizing I'd be *very* impressed by the gravity, warmth. stateliness, humor and wisdom with which the narrator brings Stevens' verse to life. This helps achieve the magical trance of rapt appreciation. Bravo!