Customer Reviews

T.S. Eliot Reads: Four Quartets, the Waste Land, the Hollow Men, and Other of His Poems/Audio Cassettes (The Great Voices of the 20th Century)

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

T. S. Eliot is a fantastic orator. Listening to him read his masterpieces- arguably the best body of work written in English in this century- has immeasurably enhanced my appreciation of the bizzarre and beautiful music of his lines. Before hearing these tapes, I had been indifferent to some of Eliot's poems; now his tapes have shown me how to read his rhythms and start to untangle his tropes, allowing me to better appreciate his verbal and metaphysical mastery. Anyone who likes Eliot's poetry, and anyone who has trouble appreciating it on the printed page alone, should definitely buy these tapes, and more.

Eliot's voice reading his own poems. The sound of a pair of ragged claws scratching across the shores of silent seas... Anyway, although a rough reference there, I know, his dry, almost detached demeanor reflected in his monophonic, monotonic voice perfectly captures the true tenor and substance of the poems. I would highly recommend these tapes for anyone into Elliot's work.

As someone who has spent months studying Eliot, I can say with conviction that the people who have given this work unfavorable ratings do not understand his poetry. Eliot reads his work with a dry, depressing voice that does not necessarily pay attention to the punctuation and is, admitedly, not always pleasant to listen to.
His reading of the poetry, however, is exactly how it is meant to be read. His interpretation of his poems becomes clear through the reading, and this harsh unmoving voice serves only to further the mood that each poem evokes. While it is not something to listen to at a party or other lighthearted gathering, if one wants to get the most realistic view of Eliot's poetry, it is necessary to listen to his recordings.

Dear Amazon reader (or listerner for this matter) please read this before you buy T.S. Eliot's tapes. When I first opened the box and placed the tape into the player, it was as though I had let a demon out into my room. T.S. Eliot's voice is very unattractive, and utterly disgraceful. I love T.S. Eliot's works and to listen to him read them (with absolute no rythym)was unbearable. Rather than buying this, you should just buy His complete works. Thank you.

The poetry itself is great, but you wouldn't know it listening to this tedious depressing voice. I supose it could be good to know how Eliot himself thought the poetry should sound, but I think I will stick with my own fantasy of how it should sound.

I suspect anyone coming to Eliot for the first time through this collection would probably give up and turn to someone else.