Leaves of Grass

The Original 1855 Edition

By: Walt Whitman, American Renaissance Books

Narrated by: Sam Torode

When Walt Whitman self-published "Leaves of Grass" in 1855, he rocked the literary world and forever changed the course of poetry. In subsequent editions, Whitman continued to revise and expand his poems - but none matched the raw power and immediacy of the first edition. This volume presents the 1855 "Leaves of Grass" in its entirety, unchanged, along with Ralph Waldo Emerson's famous letter to Whitman.

Public Domain (P)2017 Sam Torode

Great stuff

One hesitates to leave a review for Walt. Naturally, it was wonderful and the reading wonderful. I spent my undergraduate and grad work admiring the modernist poets. I feel the winds changing within me after this listen.

Great Poetry Marred by Mispronunciations

What three words best describe Sam Torode’s performance?

Pleasant voice and pace but far too many mispronunciations.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Over four hours of poetry should be enjoyed slowly.

Narrators Interpretation

What you'll find is worth a listen, even though as others have said, the narrator chose to interpret the poem other than most would have. His reading is clear, slow, understanding, but lacking in the exuberance and pitched modulation I would expect from whitman. But it is a true interpretation of the poem, because theres also a loafing relaxation throughout whitman.

great work, meh reader

i love Walt Whitman as a rule, and picked this as something to unwind to as i revisit familiar poems. the narrator just didn't have the cadence for poetry, it was read very much like a textbook rather than something with a natural rhythm.

Sam Torode’s voice beautifully conveys Whitman’s poetry

I recommend reading along with the narration, and pausing to reflect on the ideas that Whitman shares. Not only does Whitman seem ahead of his times, he seems ahead of ours as well.

The Reader...

Walt Whitman is a virile, energetic, almost grandiose character whose magnificent poetry breathes both deep spirituality and a profound sense of being grounded in living. He leaves most polite and precious poetry in the dust.

I’m afraid, however, that the bland, unemotional, almost monotonous narrator brings nothing of Whitman to the reading. The poems are still there to hear, but the narrator basically reads them like
a list or a contract. Rather disappointing.

Narrator has no clue about poetry

So much is off, very disappointing. Is sucks that I basically should imagine how I'd read this and needing to buy a paper book :(

Very dis-impassioned narrating.

If this was for the “calm app”, I’d get it, Whitman needs a confident reading, more passion! This feels like a bedtime story.

A brilliant classic

This brilliant piece of American literature if vibrant and relevant today. It is a positive and totally inclusive celebration of life. We are fortunate to have his reading of the 1855 first edition of Leaves of Grass. Whitman himself said it should be read aloud. I recommend you give it a listen.

Enjoy a time past

Gosh this is so profound. I wish we still had poetry like this today. I do recommend this book.