RECONSTRUCTION OF THE POET Uncollected Works of Zbigniew Herbert

In narrating the three radio plays that open this audiobook, Simon Vance does not attempt to create voices for the many characters. Instead, he reads the tags that identify the speakers and provides each one with an emotional life. Postwar Polish writer Zbigniew Herbert's plays are mostly about philosophy anyway, so deep characterization is not so relevant. The poems here--like the plays, previously uncollected--make a good introduction to the body of work that made him famous and, for a while, an exile. They lean toward the dark side and often have a strong philosophical content, but Vance emphasizes their humanity. These are masterful performances of hard-to-find works by one of the last century's great poets. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2024]