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William Blake: Selected Poems Audiobook
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“To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.” —from “Auguries of Innocence”
At the end of his life, William Blake gave up hope of being widely understood, but the twentieth century brought his work a new and intense interest and acclaim. A poet, artist, and mystic, Blake declared that “I must Create a System or be enslav’d by another Man’s.” And create he did.
Included in this collection are well-known poems such as “Tyger! Tyger! burning bright” and “A Poison Tree,” longer poems such as “The Everlasting Gospel,” an assortment of epigrams and short satire, and Blake’s principal prose work, “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.”
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"Personally, my most cherished British poet... :) The perpetually up-to-date, inspirational, introspective, buoyant, non-conformist, mentally revolutional Blake with dark,wry humour and meaningful allusions, as well as with a distinct and singular wit! Joyous exaltation! "
— Ioannis (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Blake’s poetry is sexual grand opera of instability, anguish, and resentment.”
— Camille Paglia, bestselling author of Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson -
“One of the most extraordinary persons of the age.”
— Charles Lamb -
“[A] man of Genius.”
— Samuel Taylor Coleridge -
“A glorious luminary…a man not forestalled by predecessors, nor to be classed with contemporaries, nor to be replaced by known or readily surmisable successors.”
— William Rossetti, nineteenth century scholar
William Blake Listener Reviews
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" Moments of brilliance amongst confusion. Definitely recommended. "
— Lachwhip, 9/16/2013 -
" William Blake was a fantastic poet! My favorite poem by far is The Tyger. "
— Sasha, 8/7/2013 -
" The Poison Tree and A Clod of Clay are my favorite. "
— Shirma, 5/24/2013 -
" Certainly a volume I will return to again and again. "
— Justin, 5/16/2013 -
" Personally, my most cherished British poet... :) The perpetually up-to-date, inspirational, introspective, buoyant, non-conformist, mentally revolutional Blake with dark,wry humour and meaningful allusions, as well as with a distinct and singular wit! Joyous exaltation! "
— Jean, 3/31/2013 -
" I love William Blake!... "
— Chelsy, 10/31/2012 -
" William Blake's work is incredible. This book includes one of my favorite poems of all time, "The Tyger." "
— Stacy, 5/12/2012 -
" The master. He could speak to all the (dead) greats and put it back into his own art. Read this and expand your brain. "
— Thomas, 9/8/2011 -
" Clever. Brilliant. Thought provoking. "
— Adam, 2/21/2011 -
" I absolutely love William Blake, he is a genius! "
— Alusha, 2/21/2011 -
" Moments of brilliance amongst confusion. Definitely recommended. "
— Lachwhip, 12/20/2010 -
" William Blake was a fantastic poet! My favorite poem by far is The Tyger. "
— Sasha, 9/30/2010 -
" The Poison Tree and A Clod of Clay are my favorite. "
— Shirma, 5/29/2009 -
" Selected Poems (Penguin Popular Classics) by William Blake (1996) "
— Daniel, 2/24/2009 -
" The master. He could speak to all the (dead) greats and put it back into his own art. Read this and expand your brain. "
— Thomas, 2/14/2008 -
" I love William Blake...he reaches into your soul. In particular i love 'Love to Faults is always blind' and 'From Auguries of Innocence'. The poem on a Tiger is also very good. Every now and then, when i need uplifted, i'll pick up this book and give it a read. "
— Elaine, 12/19/2007 -
" This isn't the edition that I own, but I just couldn't leave Billy B. off of my bookshelf. William Blake is my favorite poet of all time. Whenever I need a good jolt of poetry, I grab some Blake and get lost in his writing. "
— Vinnie, 11/16/2007 -
" Don't get this edition! Not having the pictures is *so* frustrating. <br/> <br/>But, boy, Blake is crazy--it's all very exciting. "
— Anne, 9/20/2007
About William Blake
William Blake (1757–1827) was an English poet, artist, and printmaker. Although largely unrecognized during his lifetime, he is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. He is held in high regard by critics for his expressiveness and creativity and for the philosophical and mystical undercurrents within his work. He produced a diverse and symbolically rich body of works that embraced the imagination as “the body of God” or “human existence itself.” Reverent of the Bible but hostile to the Church of England, he was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American revolutions, as well as by such thinkers as Emanuel Swedenborg.
About Frederick Davidson
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.