Swinger of Birches - Softcover

Robert Frost, the quintessential poet of New England, was actually born in San Francisco in 1874. He was educated at Dartmouth College and Harvard University. Although he managed to support himself working solely as a poet for most of his life and holding various posts with a number of universities, as a young man he was employed as a bobbin boy in a mill, a cobbler, a schoolteacher, and a farmer. Frost, whose poetry focuses on natural images of New England, received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry four times; for New Hampshire, Collected Poems, A Further Range, and A Witness Tree. His work is noted for combining characteristics of both romanticism and modernism. He also wrote A Boy's Will, North of Boston, Mountain Interval, and The Gift Outright, among others. Frost married Elinor Miriam White in 1895, and they had six children--Elliott, Lesley, Carol, Irma, Marjorie, and Elinor Bettina. He died in Boston in 1963.

Clifton Fadiman narrates this selection with his rich, yet melodic voice and gives life to the short poems of this well-known poet. The pace is slow enough to savor the words and implications, yet it moves along to maintain the continuity of thought. An occasional sound effect pertinent to the poem, such as bells or birds, brings additional life to the presentation. Adults will appreciate the introduction. If children of elementary age are to appreciate and enjoy this, the book should be used with the tape. This would be an excellent choice for a family auto trip. P.L. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine