Audiobook review: The Spoken Word, by Ted Hughes

Published on Thursday 21 May 2009 17:43

(British Library, £14.99, two CDs)

THERE was a wonderful musicality in Ted Hughes's reading of his own poems, which amply bore out his belief that silent reading was only a part of that glorious experience which suffuses the listener when a poem is read aloud. These fascinating CDs reflect not just Hughes the nature poet, but also – as Alice Oswald's liner note argues – Hughes the poet of war, love, and surreal experimentalism. Covering 30 years, this collection spans prose, verse drama and notebook jottings – Hughes from every angle.