Poets of the Great War

by Various, Michael Maloney (Narrator), Jasper Britton (Narrator)

Poetry by definition, achieves its effects by rhythm, sound patterns and imagery. One of the most popular areas of audiobooks -- spoken poetic form -- evokes emotions and sensations by bringing the voice of the poet to life in an appropriately intimate way, directly to the ear and mind of the listener.This extraordinary collection from a generation who fought through a war of unprecedented destructive power, includes 62 poems by 29 great poets of the period.

Genres: Poetry, History

Audio CD

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poignant anthology contains 62 poems by 29 poets, all sublime.

[Tiana Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poets of the Great War is a massive collection of war poetry from the First World War. It contains all the most famous classics of Wilfred Owen (my favourite) and Siegfried Sasson to more obscure poets who are equally as good. I listened to the audio version of the book, which was definitely the way to go, and I listened to a couple of poems a day so that I had time to process them and really think about them. I like that they each have a different spin on the war. Some make it appear grandiose, while others do the opposite and express the harsh reality of war. I absolutely loved this and will probably listen to it again in the future! Highly recommended for those who love poetry and really want to know what it was like.

[Christine Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so good. I picked it up because I have an idea for a story set in WWI centering around a French Poet. Now, I know these are all English poets, but I had to get it too. I had watched the wonderful film Testament of Youth based on the book by the same name (which is currently sitting waiting to be read on my nightstand), and I loved hearing a poem from Vera Brittain. So cool she was included. Of course I was listening to them, and they were read by the always wonderful Michael Maloney and Michael Sheen. Wilfred Owen was definitely one of my favorites. I thought I would include the lines that jumped out at me while I listened.

Wilfred Owen/Exposure: Northward, incessantly, the flickering gunnery rumbles,
Far off, like a dull rumor of some other war.

Wilfred Owen/Spring Offensive: Some say God caught them even before they fell.

Isaac Rosenberg/Dead Man’s Dump: But when they looked, the drowning soul had sunk too deep for human tenderness.

So good.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal and moving collection, with some entries that are so visceral as to be physical in their effect. Read by Michael Maloney, Jasper Britton, Sarah Woodward, and Michael Sheen, with music drawn from Elgar's "Nimrod."

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Readings are professionally done--by British voice actors who mutter and whisper so much that each selection is quieter than the last. Totally unsuitable for listening while taking walks outside. DNF