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Leaves of Grass (version 2)

Gelesen von Foon

(5 Sterne; 5 Bewertungen)

In honour of Walt Whitman's 200th birthday (31 May 2019) we bring you a solo recording of his seminal work Leaves of Grass.
Originally published in 1855, the work started as a collection of 12 unnamed poems. However, Whitman spent most of his life writing and re-writing Leaves of Grass, resulting in many different editions published throughout his life. The final collection, which is recorded here, is a compilation of about 400 poems separated into 35 books.

This book is notable for its discussion of delight in sensual pleasures, and exalting the body and the material world. At the time, such candid displays were considered highly immoral, which led to reviews considering it "offensive", "obscene", "a mass of stupid filth", or suggesting it should have been burned after writing. Leaves of Grass even became banned in various locations, which only led to increased sales, with some printings even selling out on the first day. To this day, the work's legacy remains strong, and is one of the most important collections of American poetry.

Among some of the best known poems contained in this work are "O captain! My captain!", "I sing the body electric", and "Song of Myself".

(Summary by Foon) (18 hr 43 min)

Chapters

Book 1: Inscriptions

24:14

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Book 2: Starting from Paumanok

28:01

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Book 3: Song of Myself, part 1

55:00

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Book 3: Song of Myself, part 2

44:36

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Book 3: Song of Myself, part 3

32:46

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Book 4: Children of Adam

46:30

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Book 5: Calamus

45:59

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Book 6: Salut au Monde!

24:18

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Book 7: Song of the Open Road

24:04

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Book 8: Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

14:32

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Book 9: Song of the Answerer

9:53

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Book 10: Our Old Feuillage

13:29

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Book 11: A Song of Joys

16:16

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Book 12: Song of the Broad-Axe

25:22

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Book 13: Song of the Exposition

23:25

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Book 14: Song of the Redwood-Tree

10:12

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Book 15: A Song for Occupations

17:36

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Book 16

13:40

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Book 17: Birds of Passage

33:12

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Book 18

8:29

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Book 19: Sea-Drift

36:04

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Book 20: By the Roadside

23:37

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Book 21: Drum-taps, part 1

45:49

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Book 21: Drum-taps, part 2

56:17

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Book 22: Memories of President Lincoln

22:33

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Book 23

37:52

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Book 24: Autumn Rivulets, part 1

58:38

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Book 24: Autumn Rivulets, part 2

33:04

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Book 25: Proud Music of the Storm

14:41

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Book 26: Passage to India

22:37

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Book 27: Prayer of Columbus

5:37

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Book 28

19:58

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Book 29: To Think of Time

13:53

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Book 30: Whispers of Heavenly Death

24:55

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Book 31

14:38

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Book 32: From Noon to Starry Night

51:14

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Book 33: Songs of Parting

36:15

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Book 34: Sands at Seventy

58:13

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Book 35: Good-Bye my Fancy

36:14

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Bewertungen

Magnificent

(5 Sterne)

Beyond belief. I have never read anything like it. May God bless his soul. The dear reader was great also. Many thanks to her.

A must-read to understand America. My Top10.

(5 Sterne)