John Keats Audiobook By John Keats cover art

John Keats

Selected Poems

 Preview

Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends April 30, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

John Keats

By: John Keats
Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends April 30, 2025 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $9.32

Buy for $9.32

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

 One of the most distinctive periods in English poetry was the age of Romanticism, a movement which rebelled against the neoclassical forms and celebrated the imagination as a spiritual force. John Keats was a prominent shaper of this new movement, and as such, he was not without his critics. "I think I shall be among the English poets after my death," he soberly prophesied. Indeed, in 1821 Keats suffered an early tragic death from tuberculosis at the age of 25, but today is recognized as the archetypal Romantic genius who explored the limits of the imagination and celebrated the pleasures of the senses.

Unlike Shelley, Keats was not a political poet; his prime passion was for art. His muse was the goddess of beauty and truth, and his worship of her found its finest expression in his immortal odes, which stand unique in literature, unexcelled in perfection.

Public Domain (P)1992 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics European Poetry World Literature Suspenseful Thought-Provoking Classic Poetry
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro768_stickypopup

Critic reviews

"Davidson's renderings are marvelous and unexpected." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about John Keats

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    29
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Peter Giordano

Opportunity to hear less known poems

The advantage of this recording is that it includes a lot poems not usually found in audio. The reader opts for a casual tone which seems to disappoint some people; the rendering ON FIRST LOOKING INTO CHAPMAN'S HOMER is almost startling at first but when you realize the conditions of the poem's composition it makes sense and it's refreshing to have another take on this oft recorded poem. The real gem though is THE FALL OF HYPERION: A DREAM; the reader brings out all the power and passion of the poem without resorting to any histrionics or flourishes. Once again though AUDIBLE lets us down by not including a list of poems or an easy way to locate poems in the book.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Peter C

Wonderful poetry book

This is a wonderful poetry book. Keats wrote some beautiful poetry. The narrator was very talented. It was almost as if I were in a theater in London or New York enjoying a brilliant performance!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kindle Customer

Good poems, Poor casting

The narrator had a very nasal voice that made the poems difficult to listen to.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kindle Customer

Hyperion by Keats

Keats is one of the greatest English poets and here is very well read. The title Selected Poems is a bit misleading, however, as the text consists of a handful of poems and the full text of his unfinished work Hyperion. Many many great Keats poems are missing. Still, a good book for a great price.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for J. S.

Keats

What can be said about Keats that hasn't already been said. It's important to revisit the masters of the past, to see how the craft of Poetry has evolved over the years. It's wild to me that in the early days, straight rhyme was considered the cutting edge.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Paul

Wonderful!

Some might resent the supercilious British guy who reads these amazing poems, I didn't.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Lisa

Beautiful words delivered in a bored sardonic tone

Keats words are as beautiful as always, unfortunately they are tainted by the completely bored and condescending tone of voice of the narrator. Disappointing.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kevin K

Great selection of work - poor narration

I was a little disappointed with the narration of Keat's works.
The way it was read it wasn't always apparent when one piece of work stopped and a new one started.
My biggest complaint of the style in which the prose is read is that Frederick Davidson sounds entirely too lackadaisical. I am half picturing the narrator picking his nails in disinterest while reading.
Maybe this is a personal preference of mine but I find that poetic prose is easier on the ears when read by a softer voice capable of clear enunciation. I love Keats but I just can't get into this narration.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for HUGH O'DONNELL

Disaster

This is the worst recitation of great poetry that I have ever heard. An effete flowery mannered pompous parody that was excruciating to listen to

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful