The Poems of T. S. Eliot

Read by Jeremy Irons

By: T. S. Eliot

Narrated by: Jeremy Irons, Dame Eileen Atkins

Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Jeremy Irons' perceptive reading illuminates the poetry of T. S. Eliot in all its complexity. Major poems range from 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' through the post-war desolation of 'The Waste Land' and the spiritual struggle of 'Ash-Wednesday', to the enduring charm of 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'.

The Spectator praised Jeremy Irons' interpretation as 'so accessible, reading Eliot as if finding his words for the first time, grappling with them, relishing them, using them to express feelings that we all share as we struggle to accept, to recognise or relinquish'. Dame Eileen Atkins also appears alongside Jeremy Irons in the reading of 'The Waste Land'.

UPDATED EDITION WITH POEM TITLES FOR EASY NAVIGATION.

©2015 BBC (P)2016 BBC

Critic reviews

"For such a major poet, Eliot left a fairly sparse body of work, and all his mature poems are here. And while many consider him to be a fairly austere modernist, these readings by Jeremy Irons bring out the human passion (and sometimes the intellectual passion) that lurks in the poems.... His versions are simply more human, as beautifully crafted as the poems themselves." (AudioFile)

Accessible and enjoyable....

Jeremy Irons narration is so spot on... to the tone, tenor and feel of T.S. Elliot's poetry that I re-listened to many of the poems.
Yes, it takes a bit of life experience to enjoy Elliot and yes, he writes from his time and from his insights and passions, but much of good literature and poetry takes some care and attention to digest..... still, it is so good the soul. Your life is richer for taking the time while driving in the car, in the kitchen, in the garage, out on a walk or sitting in a good chair by the fireplace. I strongly recommend this audible book. I have 200 plus audible books and this one ranks in my top 10.

Great

Jeremy Irons does a great job reading a great poet. Can’t think of a better voice for the Hollow Men.

Indexing has been corrected.

I was hesitant to purchase, given the number of complaints that the reading was one long item with no verbal titles or indexing of the individual poems. All the longer poems are now verbally introduced and all the poems are indexed and titled in the Chapters section.

Beautiful performance, Great poems!

I love Eliot's poetry, and I deeply enjoyed hearing it read by such skilled voices! A fantastic recording!

No poem titles?

If they had included the poem title in the "chapters", It would have bee n a 5 star.