Next up: Tom Waits reads Charles Bukowski’s poem, The LaughÂing Heart. As Zoran (a readÂer from Greece) observes, Waits reads the poem much like BukowsÂki would have read it himÂself.
Of course, this raisÂes the quesÂtion: How did BukowsÂki read his poetÂry? The Secret of My Endurance holds the answer.
Thanks Zoran…
He was ArgentiÂna’s favorite son, one of the great South AmerÂiÂcan writÂers of the last cenÂtuÂry (along with Gabriel GarÂcia MarÂquez, CarÂlos Fuentes, and Mario VarÂgas Llosa), and the winÂner of 46 nationÂal and interÂnaÂtionÂal litÂerÂary prizes. We’re talkÂing about Jorge Luis Borges, the masÂter of the postÂmodÂern short stoÂry. Borges was born in 1899, and to celÂeÂbrate his 100th birthÂday (though he died in 1986), Philippe Molins directÂed the docÂuÂmenÂtary, Jorge Luis Borges: The MirÂror Man. The film’s major strength (as one reviewÂer put it) is that it’s a “bit of everyÂthing – part biogÂraÂphy, part litÂerÂary critÂiÂcism, part hero-worÂship, part book readÂing, and part psyÂcholÂoÂgy.” It runs 47 minÂutes and includes a fair amount of archival footage. (You can watch it in a largÂer forÂmat on Vimeo here.)
A big thanks goes to Mike for sendÂing The MirÂror Man our way. If you have your own great piece of culÂturÂal media to share with us and your felÂlow OC readÂers, please feel free to send it along.
The CBS Radio WorkÂshop was an “experÂiÂmenÂtal draÂmatÂic radio antholÂoÂgy series” that aired between 1956 and 1957. And it preÂmiered with a two-part adapÂtaÂtion of Aldous HuxÂley’s now clasÂsic 1932 novÂel, Brave New World. HuxÂley himÂself introÂduced and narÂratÂed the proÂgram, and now this clasÂsic radio draÂma has resurÂfaced online. You can lisÂten to Part 1 and Part 2 below. The mp3s will be perÂmaÂnentÂly housed in our colÂlecÂtion of Free Audio Books.
Part 1
Part 2
William CarÂlos Williams – docÂtor by day, poet by night, and cerÂtainÂly one of AmerÂiÂca’s finest. In this 1954 audio clip, we hear Williams readÂing his own poetÂry at the stoÂried 92nd Street Y in New York City. Poems include: “A Sort of a Song,” “The ManeuÂver,” “SeaÂfarÂer,” “The Three Graces,” “PaterÂson, Episode 17,” “The Descent” and “Fish.” The reads are now added to the PoetÂry secÂtion of our Free Audio Books ColÂlecÂtion.
PoetÂry lovers take note: PeoÂple ReadÂing Poems is a very new web site where users can come to hear recordÂings of peoÂple readÂing poems they love, and also to share their own favorite poems. It’s all comÂpleteÂly free and easy to use. If you have a free moment, pay it a visÂit and help the site grow.
AnothÂer great New York City moment. In the spring of 2009, conÂstrucÂtion workÂers buildÂing the new home for Poets House were treatÂed to a short poetÂry readÂing by the actor Bill MurÂray. We iniÂtialÂly encounter MurÂray (at the 59 secÂond mark) readÂing lines from BilÂly Collins’ AnothÂer ReaÂson I Don’t Keep a Gun in the House. Next up? Lorine NiedeckÂer’s very pithy poem, Poets Work, and then, of course, a litÂtle EmiÂly DickÂinÂson.
For more free poetÂry, visÂit our colÂlecÂtion of Free Audio Books.
LookÂing for free, proÂfesÂÂsionÂalÂÂly-read audio books from Audible.com? Here’s a great, no-strings-attached deal. If you start a 30 day free triÂal with Audible.com, you can downÂload two free audio books of your choice. Get more details on the offer here.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Bill MurÂray Gives a DelightÂful ReadÂing of Twain’sHuckleberry Finn (1996)
Watch Bill MurÂray PerÂform a SatirÂiÂcal Anti-TechÂnolÂoÂgy Rant (1982)
We’re bringÂing you some great authors this week. First it was HemÂingÂway, then Orwell, and now Capote.
In 1958, TruÂman Capote put his stamp on the AmerÂiÂcan litÂerÂary scene when he pubÂlished his short novÂel, BreakÂfast at Tiffany’s, in the pages of Esquire magÂaÂzine. Authors and critÂics were quick to recÂogÂnize what Capote had accomÂplished here. The always opinÂionÂatÂed NorÂman MailÂer would say that Capote “is the most perÂfect writer of my genÂerÂaÂtion, he writes the best senÂtences word for word, rhythm upon rhythm. I would not have changed two words in BreakÂfast at Tiffany’s which will become a small clasÂsic.” About that, MailÂer was exactÂly right. BreakÂfast at Tiffany’s is now a clasÂsic book – not to menÂtion a clasÂsic film too (watch the trailÂer with the iconÂic Audrey HepÂburn here). And now let’s rewind the audioÂtape and take you back to 1963, to the great 92nd Street Y in New York city, where TruÂman Capote reads from his litÂtle clasÂsic in his own disÂtincÂtive voice. This audio clip runs about 17 minÂutes. Have a lisÂten.
LookÂing for free, proÂfesÂsionÂalÂly-read audio books from Audible.com? Here’s a great, no-strings-attached deal. If you start a 30 day free triÂal with Audible.com, you can downÂload two free audio books of your choice. Get more details on the offer here.
PerÂhaps Ernest HemÂingÂway wasÂn’t the best at readÂing litÂerÂaÂture aloud. And it’s why A.E. HotchÂnÂer once said, “one of Ernest HemÂingÂway’s deadÂliest eneÂmies was The MicroÂphone.”
But even so, it’s worth recapÂturÂing the voice of the AmerÂiÂcan litÂerÂary giant – espeÂcialÂly when we can hear him read from his own work. The readÂing is called “In HarÂry’s Bar in Venice,” and it was recordÂed with a pockÂet recorder someÂtime in the late 1950s. You can access the recordÂing (thanks to HarperÂAuÂdio) in mulÂtiÂple forÂmats here: .au forÂmat, .gsm forÂmat, .ra forÂmat. Or you can buy it as part of a largÂer colÂlecÂtion called Ernest HemÂingÂway Reads Ernest HemÂingÂway.
WritÂing in The Guardian, VicÂtor KeeÂgan, a longÂtime jourÂnalÂist and poet, talks about his new iPhone app, City Poems. The newÂly released app will run you $2.99 on iTunes, which makes it less than open, I know. (Have you seen our free app, by the way?) But it’s admitÂtedÂly a pretÂty nice conÂcept for the culÂturÂal crowd, enough to jusÂtiÂfy givÂing it a quick menÂtion here. About City Poems, KeeÂgan says:
City Poems – pubÂlished today – … uses satelÂlite navÂiÂgaÂtion to guide culÂture vulÂtures and tourists alike through the streets of cenÂtral LonÂdon poem by poem. After weeks of researchÂing poems about the city, I realised that you can learn more about the past life of a city from poems than from most guide books and hisÂtoÂries. WherÂevÂer you are standÂing in LonÂdon (or New York for that matÂter) with an iPhone (or iPod Touch or iPad) in your hand it will tell you how many metres you are away from places and events that poems have been writÂten about.
They include the exeÂcuÂtion of the crimÂiÂnal Jonathan Wild (one of the inspiÂraÂtions for John Gay’s The BegÂgar’s Opera), pubÂlic burnÂings in SmithÂfield (“His guts filled a barÂrel”) or the curiÂous stoÂries behind the statÂues in TrafalÂgar Square, which I had passed by in ignoÂrance for many decades…
Like I said, an intriguÂing conÂcept, and it seems as though KeeÂgan has plans to bring this mateÂrÂiÂal to othÂer mobile platÂforms. You can grab the app on iTunes here.
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