William Carlos Williams: The Voice of the Poet.

WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS: THE VOICE OF THE POET. 2005. Read by the author. 1 cd. 1 hour. Random House Audio. 1-4159-2039-7. $24.00. Plastic; content notes, 64-page book. SA *

LANGSTON HUGHES: THE VOICE OF THE POET. 2005. Read by the author. 1 cd. 1 hour. Random House Audio. 1-4159-2036-2. $24.00. Plastic; content notes, 64-page book. SA *

E.E. CUMMINGS: THE VOICE OF THE POET. 2005. Read by the author. 1 cd. 1 hour. Random House Audio. 1-4159-2039-7 $24.00. Plastic: content notes, 64-page book. SA *

T.S. ELIOT: THE VOICE OF THE POET. 2005. Read by the author. 1 cd. 1 hour. Random House Audio. 1-4159-2037-0. $24.00. Plastic; content notes, 64-page book. SA *

RANDALL JARRELL: THE VOICE OF THE POET. 2005. Read by the author. 1 cd. 1 hour. Random House Audio. 1-4159-2038-9, $24.00. Plastic; content notes, 64-page book. SA *

Five poets read their own work in this estimable series. Each CD is accompanied by a companion book that contains the text of the poems, a bibliography, and a commentary by poet/critic J. D. McClatchy, the editor of The Yale Review. The CDs include never-before-released recordings. T. S. Eliot reads nine of his poems, including "The Waste Land" and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Although he was born in St. Louis in 1888, Eliot became a British citizen in 1927. As an old man, he claimed that his poetry was more American than English. He reads, however, in a monotonous cultivated British accent.

e.e. cummings, known for his witty lyrics, reads his work with an ebullience that serves his poems well. He lovingly draws out sounds, dwelling on each luscious syllable. He even sings. His cheeky voice renders dialog in a satiric tone. Forty-two poems include "Buffalo Bill's," "pity this busy monster, manunkind," and "all ignorance toboggans into know."

Influenced by jazz and blues music, Langston Hughes wrote accessible and personal poetry. These recordings are performed before an audience. Hughes gives us his life story, telling how he became a poet accidentally in the 8th grade. McClatchy says "his voice is authoritative but genial, insistent without hectoring." Most of his poems are short, some written in dialect. Fifty-five are included.

Randall Jarrell, called by Robert Lowell "the most heartbreaking poet of his generation," explores in his poems "the unknown, unwanted life...The soldier, the child, the aging woman, and the victim were favorite characters of the tender and subtle dramatic monologues." Many of Jarrell's poems are studio recordings, read in a weary monotone. Some of the war poems are read before an audience. These include "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" and "Eighth Air Force." Thirteen works are presented. William Carlos Williams, physician and poet, writes of the everyday lives of common people. In 35 works Williams writes of wallpaper, a mental hospital garden, a red wheelbarrow, Queen Anne's Lace, a young housewife, and peace on earth. He said he wanted to "write whatever I damn please, whenever I damn please and as I damn please." His studio recordings are read like radio plays, with different voices, older and younger characterizations. The Voice of the Poet series is a must. Janet Julian, English Teacher, Grafton, MA

KLIATT uses the following codes to help readers determine if the material reviewed is appropriate for their needs:

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.

* The asterisk highlights exceptional books.