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The Great Poets: Alfred Lord Tennyson cover art

The Great Poets: Alfred Lord Tennyson

By: Alfred Tennyson
Narrated by: Michael Pennington
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Editor reviews

There's no need to dip into the lesser works in a collection of Tennyson, and Naxos has made a fine selection here, mixing the best known ("The Charge of the Light Brigade," "The Lady of Shalott," "Ulysses," "The Lotus-Eaters") with others that will be less familiar to casual readers. One might quibble with some of Michael Pennington's line readings, but he has made thoughtful interpretations, and his voice is quite capable of meeting the musical demands of the poetry. There's nothing new here for Tennyson's fans, but the presentation is a strong introduction to a master's range of style and emotion.

Summary

The 200th anniversary of the birth of Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892), one of the most popular of poets, is celebrated in 2009. Works such as "The Charge of the Light Brigade", "Crossing the Bar", and "Tears, Idle Tears" have made him an internationally famous figure, and the second most quoted writer of all time (after Shakespeare).

Tennyson's poetic works encompass a great range of styles, settings and personae, and are known for their emotional resonance and powerful imagery. Naxos AudioBooks's popular The Great Poets series marks the anniversary with an audio bringing together all the key works, read by veteran reader Michael Pennington.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2009 Naxos Audiobooks (P)2009 Naxos Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Great Poets: Alfred Lord Tennyson

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Great selection, very well read

This is an admirable sampling of Tennyson's greatest moments; Michael Pennington reads beautifully. Shame about the track names, which are inaccurate and confusing.

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Brilliant

Actors so often wreck poems, but this is a great performance by Michael Pennington; his reading of Tennyson’s blank verse, especially ‘The Death of Arthur’, is particularly powerful, no doubt underpinned by his Shakespearean training. My only complaint is that the chapter titles are strewn with errors (‘The Idle King’, ‘The Broke’) and often several poems are grouped under one misleading title, which makes navigating to the desired section tricky.

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Each poem should have a chapter

Wonderful poetry wonderfully read but the chapters aren't divided by poem which seems ridiculous and outmoded in this day and age. (Tennyson, at his best, at least, doesn't seem outmoded.)

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A personal favourite

A good selection of some of Lord Tennyson's finest poems, lovely narrated by Michael Pennington.

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