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Rating: 
Summary: A fantastic collection of Romantic and 20th century poetry
Review: I cannot praise too highly this collection of poetry spoken by the late Richard Burton. Every poem is read with deep understanding, clarity and passion. It has introduced me to new works, and led me to reinterpret poems with which I was very familiar.The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is read with a dramatic flair very different to the standard poetry reading - Burton is alive to the drama of the piece. The Dylan Thomas poems communicate the sense of having known the author, drank with him and respected his talent and his tragedy. My favourite tape, though, is the second, with a great selection of relatively short poems of all periods, from the stark Presbyterianism of 'Timor Mortis Conturbat Me' (which, by the way, apparently disturbed Burton immensely), through the love poems of Donne, Raleigh and Marvell, and into the early twentieth century English authors like Betjeman. Another great reading is the 'Desiderata' - which moved me so much that my wife and I used it in our wedding ceremony. The tapes make you wish there were more recordings available. I would love to hear more - particularly some of his readings of the First World War poets and of Larkin and Auden (if they are extant). I urge anyone to buy this audiotape - I have found it the best incentive to enjoy poetry in its purest form.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic collection of Romantic and 20th century poetry
Review: I cannot praise too highly this collection of poetry spoken by the late Richard Burton. Every poem is read with deep understanding, clarity and passion. It has introduced me to new works, and led me to reinterpret poems with which I was very familiar. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is read with a dramatic flair very different to the standard poetry reading - Burton is alive to the drama of the piece. The Dylan Thomas poems communicate the sense of having known the author, drank with him and respected his talent and his tragedy. My favourite tape, though, is the second, with a great selection of relatively short poems of all periods, from the stark Presbyterianism of 'Timor Mortis Conturbat Me' (which, by the way, apparently disturbed Burton immensely), through the love poems of Donne, Raleigh and Marvell, and into the early twentieth century English authors like Betjeman. Another great reading is the 'Desiderata' - which moved me so much that my wife and I used it in our wedding ceremony. The tapes make you wish there were more recordings available. I would love to hear more - particularly some of his readings of the First World War poets and of Larkin and Auden (if they are extant). I urge anyone to buy this audiotape - I have found it the best incentive to enjoy poetry in its purest form.
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