Irish Poets and Writers - The Spoken Word (audio CD)
As featured on the Guardian Books podcast Read reviews Listen to celebrated Irish poets and writers discussing and reading their own work, including W B Yeats, Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, and Elizabeth Bowen. The 3 CD-set set features some of the most important historic recordings of Irish literary figures to have survived, the majority of which come from BBC broadcasts. This compilation makes available for the first time the complete surviving BBC broadcasts of W B Yeats. Most of the recordings are previously unpublished.
The set includes a booklet with an introduction by Dr David Wheatley and full track details.
Listen to extracts from tracks using Windows Media Player
Finnegans Wake - an extract read by James Joyce
In the Poet’s Pub - an extract read by W B Yeats
Track listingDISC ONE
1. Frank O’Connor, Saints and Soldiers O'Connor reads his translations of The Hermitage and Aengus the Spouse of God: The Downfall of Heathendom
2. W B Yeats, Reading of poems Yeats talks about poetry and reads two of his own poems (The Lake Isle of Innisfree and The Fiddler of Dooney)
3. W B Yeats, St Patrick’s Night programmeYeats reads The Song of the Old Mother and introduces A Faery Song
4. W B Yeats, National Lectures, No.18Yeats reads and discusses Paul Fort: The Pretty Maid [translated from the French], T S Eliot: Preludes [extract], Cecil Day Lewis: Two Songs, No.1
5. W B Yeats and V C Clinton-Baddeley, In the Poet’s PubYeats sets the scene and actor Clinton-Baddeley reads a selection of poems chosen by Yeats
6. W B Yeats, My Own PoetryYeats discusses the political background to the first two poems he was about to read
7. W B Yeats, My Own Poetry AgainYeats reads The Lake Isle of Innisfree along with an extract of Coole and Ballylee, 1931
8. Frank O’Connor and Sean O’Faolain, W B Yeats: A Dublin Portrait
9. Patrick Kavanagh, New Comment
The poet Patrick Kavanagh is interviewed about his work
11. Eavan Boland, The Living PoetThe poet Eavan Boland reads a selection of her work, The War Horse, Nocturne, The Black Lace Fan, Night Feed
DISC TWO
1. Bernard Shaw, Spoken English and Broken EnglishBernard Shaw’s talk on the English language
2. Bernard Shaw, Address at British Drama League Conference, Edinburgh
3. Frank O’Connor, Portrait of James JoyceFrank O’Connor reminisces about his only meeting with James Joyce
4. Sylvia Beach, Talk on recordings by James JoyceSylvia Beach describes how James Joyce came to make his two surviving recordings
5. James Joyce, Ulysses pp136–137James Joyce reads an extract from Ulysses
6. James Joyce, Anna Livia Plurabelle, James Joyce reads an extract from Finnegans Wake
7. Sean O’Casey, InterviewExtract from a previously unheard interview with the dramatist Sean O’Casey
8. Frank O’Connor, Interior Voices Frank O’Connor reads extracts from his book Guests of the Nation
9. Brendan Behan, The Auld TriangleBrendan Behan sings the song The Auld Triangle from his play The Quare Fellow
Reviews `Joyce’s reading of Ulysses is the earliest inclusion on the anthology. The most recent track was recorded in 1980, and features Liam O’Flaherty reading his short story, The Mermaid. Other featured writers include Edna O’Brien, Mary Lavin, George Bernard Shaw and Patrick Kavanagh.` James Clegg, The Sunday Times
`The only two surviving recordings made by Joyce are included. Another highlight is all the surviving audio extracts from the Belfast and London BBC broadcasts by WB Yeats.` Independent.ie
