Listen to a sample
A Chorus of Ears
- Author
- Denise Riley
- Narrator
- Denise Riley
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date
- 25 June 2026
- Run Time
- 3 hours 53 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
‘One of the most eloquent thinkers about our life in language’ – The Sunday Times
Read by the author, Denise Riley
A Chorus of Ears is a series of essays on voice, lyric and the persona of the poet from one of the greatest living English poets. Originally delivered as a lecture series at Trinity College, Cambridge, in A Chorus of Ears Denise Riley meditates upon the emphasis we place upon the persona of the poet, relegating their actual poetry to a second-order importance. Prize culture and the primacy of the poet – as opposed to the poem – transform criticism into a beauty contest, constraining our ability to meet the lyric on its own terms.
What, Riley asks, might be discovered about the purpose of poetry, its originary point within our language and more yet besides, when we liberate it from the persona of the author? In allowing the poem to speak, what might we hear?
Including a foreword by leading poet and critic Don Paterson.
'One of the great poets of our time ' – New Statesman
Critics Review
-
This is a book which sets Riley alongside Virginia Woolf, confirming her as one of the most profound poetic thinkers of our time
Deryn Rees-Jones
-
Very occasionally, and always at the right time, an Angel of Poetry appears, holding up a light
Carol Ann Duffy, former UK Poet Laureate
-
A much-needed reminder of inspiration’s independence, A Chorus of Ears gently resets the coordinates of contemporary poetry away from the mechanical and literal-minded. My repeated thought on reading it was ‘Oh thank goodness for Denise Riley’
Leontia Flynn
-
Daring intellectually and sensitively tuned to the interiority of the poem and its making. [A Chorus of Ears] asks us to think again about ‘voice’ in poetry, finding language to articulate the difficult borderland between an inner listening and the already said, the living and the dead
Linda Anderson, author of Elizabeth Bishop: Lines of Connection
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
One of the most eloquent thinkers about our life in language
The Sunday Times
-
There is so much going on in these essays, the head spins: so much to learn and to take in, so bewilderingly febrile and supersubtle as they are, so refreshingly advocative of an exuberant innerness that preserves secrecy and privacy, allowing in more quiet air to breathe within the solidity of the poem as 'secreted life' and transpersonal voice.
Blackbox Manifold
-
Her strengths are so varied: notice one quality you admire, and another follows hard behind. Riley is an enormously gifted writer
The Guardian
-
Wondrous . . . one of the great poets of our time
New Statesman
-
An extraordinary thinker . . . Riley's clarity of vision and expression is revelatory.
Declan Ryan
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Denise Riley
- Narrator
- Denise Riley
- Duration
- 3 hours 53 minutes
- Release Date
- 25 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9781035095988
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Genre
- Literary studies: poetry and poets, Philosophy of language, Essays
Synopsis
‘One of the most eloquent thinkers about our life in language’ – The Sunday TimesRead by the author, Denise RileyA Chorus of Ears is a series of essays on voice, lyric and the persona of the poet from one of the greatest living English poets. Originally delivered as a lecture series at Trinity College, Cambridge, in A Chorus of Ears Denise Riley meditates upon the emphasis we place upon the persona of the poet, relegating their actual poetry to a second-order importance. Prize culture and the primacy of the poet – as opposed to the poem – transform criticism into a beauty contest, constraining our ability to meet the lyric on its own terms.What, Riley asks, might be discovered about the purpose of poetry, its originary point within our language and more yet besides, when we liberate it from the persona of the author? In allowing the poem to speak, what might we hear?Including a foreword by leading poet and critic Don Paterson.'One of the great poets of our time ' – New Statesman
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.