Spoon River Anthology

Deemed essential in the canon of American literature, this audiobook masterpiece performed in its entirety by a full cast of fifty makes the classic accessible to everyone. From a cemetery in a fictional mid-American town, the dead speak the truths about their lives. Some speak of hardships and sordid affairs, while others speak of their simple, honest, happy lives. Some are elderly and others are youthful or children, but mortality has claimed them all. Their voices reach us deeply-alternately plaintive, anguished, enigmatic, angry, contemptuous, and comedic, evoking themes of love, hope, disappointment, despair, and abiding faith. As the Spoon River residents examine their lives, they invite us to do the same.

About the Author :
Edgar Lee Masters (1868-1950) was an American poet, biographer, and dramatist. He published over thirty books, including biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman. Patrick Fraley has created voices for over four thousand characters, placing him among the top ten performers of all time to be cast in animated programs. He holds an MFA in acting from Cornell University and is the author of the only character-voice curriculum ever to be accredited at the university level. Edward Ed Asner is an American actor best known for his Emmy-winning role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, later continued in a spin-off series, Lou Grant. He has made dozens of appearances-including voice-over work-on television shows and has recorded a number of audiobooks. Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales on 27 October 1914. In 1934 his first book of poetry, Eighteen Poems appeared, followed by Twenty-five Poems in 1936, Deaths and Entrances in 1946 and in 1952 his final volume, Collected Poems. He also published many short stories, wrote filmscripts, broadcast stories and talks, did a series of lecture tours in the United States and wrote Under Milkwood, the radio play.During his fourth lecture tour of the United States in 1953, a few days after his 39th birthday, he collapsed in his New York hotel and died on November 9th at St. Vincent's Hospital. His body was sent back to Laugharne, Wales, where his grave is marked by a simple wooden cross.In June 1994, his wife, Caitlin Thomas, died in Italy, where she had spent most of the years of her life after the death of Dylan Thomas. Her body is buried next to his.

Review :
The stories are well told and often harsh, as the dead of Spoon River carry their anger and grievances to their graves...The cast of fifty, headed by Patrick Fraley and Edward Asner, is well matched to the many characters in this excellent production. -- "AudioFile"