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The Book of Taliesin

Poems of Warfare and Praise in an Enchanted Britain

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by David Sibley, best known for Henry V, War & Peace and Silent Witness. This definitive recording is translated by, and includes an introduction by Gwyneth Lewis and Rowan William.

Taliesin's is one of the most important names in all Welsh literature - and one of its greatest mysteries. He has fascinated and inspired some of our greatest poets, including Tennyson and Robert Graves. He is a poet; a shapeshifter; a seer; a chronicler of battles fought, by sword and with magic, between the ancient kingdoms of the fifth- and sixth-century British Isles; a bridge between old Welsh mythologies and the new Christian theology; and a figure whose literary legend culminated with the compilation in thirteenth-century North Wales of The Book of Taliesin, an anthology gathering the work of some 700 years of anonymous hands.

In the first volume since 1915 to gather the The Book of Taliesin in its entirety, Gwyneth Lewis and Rowan Williams's artfully accessible translation makes these outrageous, swaggering and joyful poems available to a new generation of readers.

© Gwyneth Lewis, Rowan Williams 2019 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature Classics European Poetry Themes & Styles World Literature Magic
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Most relevant
If you are interested in early Welsh bardic tradition this book is a must and a pleasure. It does not vere off in far flung assumptions but gives clear and logical possibilities in the more obscure areas where there is little to go on as 100% proof without claiming its assumptions as being exact. Not being an academic I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and the inspiration it has given me. Loud applause for the authors and on audible, the narrator.

Highly entertaining

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much enjoyed furthering a basic understanding of a tale so shared.
timing works well as I learn from a non Welsh perspective a shared history.
to A must to study this more thanks

excellent

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listened to 5 minutes of this on Spotify before coming here to buy it because I knew I'd want to listen again and again. it's incredible source material of course but it's a beautiful translation and a beautiful delivery. a salve for when I'm homesick for Wales

a little piece of home

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The speaking artist cannot pronounce basic Welsh words- such as Cymru, Dyfed, Eryri, Cadair and many more. How this bad pronunciation managed to get through without anyone noticing is quite astonishing. There are plenty of talented Welsh actors who could have performed this better. This deserves better.

Performance marred by poor Welsh pronunciation

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