The letters of Keats between 1816 and 1821 are passionate, revealing and sensitive. Furthermore, it was within the context of these letters that many of his poems first appeared. Perry Keenlyside has selected some of the most revealing of the letters to show the state of mind and attitudes of the poet while he was writing that made him one of the most loved poets in the English language.
“A breathtaking production. Masterpiece after poetic masterpiece, set in the context of the last five years of Keats' tragically brief, TB-shortened life (1795-1821), imbedded in and emerging from his letters. The cumulative effect is deeply moving. Samuel West, a knowing and expressive reader, cumulatively becomes the young, newly dedicated poet. I cannot convey how masterfully reader West brings us the soul of John Keats. Elegantly shifting between the Keats of the letters and the voice of the poetry itself, he uses "the art that conceals art" -- knowing phrasing, deft pauses, and subtle accentuation -- to immerse us utterly in the seeking, compassionate egalitarian essence of this great, doomed English Romantic. Matthew Marsh is an excellent Narrator. Spellbinding, rhapsodic, endorphinizing stuff!”
AudioFile Magazine ...
“Enhanced by the fine performance of Samuel West, whose rich, young voice embodies the passion and precision so characteristic of the poet's brilliant and questing mind. Like other Naxos recordings, the piano interludes allow the listener reflective moments to digest the material. The whole is thoughtful and conducive to fully appreciating Keats's lyricism.”
Library Journal...
“Despite various recorded readings of Keats’s poems, this is the first time an audiobook has been structured around his letters. This is a rare glimpse of the poet presented in a non-scholarly format. Recommended wherever there is interest in Keats or Romantic poetry.”
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