Get Your Free Audiobook
-
Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire
- A Study of Genius, Mania, and Character
- Narrated by: Jefferson Mays
- Length: 17 hrs and 59 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Art & Literature
Non-member price: $56.39
People who bought this also bought...
-
Exuberance
- The Passion for Life
- By: Kay Redfield Jamison
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
We have learned much about depression, but what about its opposite? Why hasn't the human emotion that lifts us, inspires us, drives us on, and makes life worth living been discussed and celebrated? In this outstanding book, best-selling author Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison explores exuberance in all its unrestrained, joyful energy, and shows how its unique vitality is essential to our existence.
-
An Unquiet Mind
- A Memoir of Moods and Madness
- By: Kay Redfield Jamison
- Narrated by: Kay Redfield Jamison
- Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 60
The personal memoir of a manic depressive and an authority on the subject describes the onset of the illness during her teenage years and her determined journey through the realm of available treatments.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
brilliant personal memoir for those that struggleq
- By Anonymous User on 03-11-2018
-
Madness: A Bipolar Life
- By: Marya Hornbacher
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
Madness: A Bipolar Life delivers the revelation that Hornbacher is not alone: Millions of people in America, today, are struggling with a variety of disorders that may disguise their bipolar disease. And Hornbacher's fiercely self-aware portrait of her own bipolar as early as age four will powerfully change, too, the current debate on whether bipolar disease actually exists in in children.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Relatable
- By Anonymous User on 28-04-2020
-
The Saddest Words
- William Faulkner's Civil War
- By: Michael Gorra
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Should we still read William Faulkner in this new century? What can his works tell us about the legacy of slavery and the Civil War, that central quarrel in our nation's history? These are the provocative questions that Michael Gorra asks in this historic portrait of the novelist and his world.
-
Reborn
- Journals and Notebooks, 1947-1963
- By: Susan Sontag
- Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
"I intend to do everything...I shall anticipate pleasure everywhere and find it too, for it is everywhere! I shall involve myself wholly...everything matters!" This first selection from Susan Sontag's diaries (from 1947-1963) takes us from early adolescence through to when Sontag was in her early 30s. It is an astonishingly affecting and honest self-portrait which is also a fascinating, revealing account of an artist and critic being born. We see Sontag honing her skills and fashioning herself, by a supreme act of will, into an intellectual force.
-
Take Arms Against a Sea of Troubles
- The Power of a Reader's Mind over a Universe of Death
- By: Harold Bloom
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
The last book written by the most famous literary critic of his generation, on the sustaining power of poetry.
-
Exuberance
- The Passion for Life
- By: Kay Redfield Jamison
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
We have learned much about depression, but what about its opposite? Why hasn't the human emotion that lifts us, inspires us, drives us on, and makes life worth living been discussed and celebrated? In this outstanding book, best-selling author Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison explores exuberance in all its unrestrained, joyful energy, and shows how its unique vitality is essential to our existence.
-
An Unquiet Mind
- A Memoir of Moods and Madness
- By: Kay Redfield Jamison
- Narrated by: Kay Redfield Jamison
- Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 60
The personal memoir of a manic depressive and an authority on the subject describes the onset of the illness during her teenage years and her determined journey through the realm of available treatments.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
brilliant personal memoir for those that struggleq
- By Anonymous User on 03-11-2018
-
Madness: A Bipolar Life
- By: Marya Hornbacher
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
Madness: A Bipolar Life delivers the revelation that Hornbacher is not alone: Millions of people in America, today, are struggling with a variety of disorders that may disguise their bipolar disease. And Hornbacher's fiercely self-aware portrait of her own bipolar as early as age four will powerfully change, too, the current debate on whether bipolar disease actually exists in in children.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Relatable
- By Anonymous User on 28-04-2020
-
The Saddest Words
- William Faulkner's Civil War
- By: Michael Gorra
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Should we still read William Faulkner in this new century? What can his works tell us about the legacy of slavery and the Civil War, that central quarrel in our nation's history? These are the provocative questions that Michael Gorra asks in this historic portrait of the novelist and his world.
-
Reborn
- Journals and Notebooks, 1947-1963
- By: Susan Sontag
- Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
"I intend to do everything...I shall anticipate pleasure everywhere and find it too, for it is everywhere! I shall involve myself wholly...everything matters!" This first selection from Susan Sontag's diaries (from 1947-1963) takes us from early adolescence through to when Sontag was in her early 30s. It is an astonishingly affecting and honest self-portrait which is also a fascinating, revealing account of an artist and critic being born. We see Sontag honing her skills and fashioning herself, by a supreme act of will, into an intellectual force.
-
Take Arms Against a Sea of Troubles
- The Power of a Reader's Mind over a Universe of Death
- By: Harold Bloom
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
The last book written by the most famous literary critic of his generation, on the sustaining power of poetry.
Publisher's Summary
In this magisterial study of the relationship between illness and art, the best-selling author of An Unquiet Mind, Kay Redfield Jamison, brings an entirely fresh understanding to the work and life of Robert Lowell (1917-1977), whose intense, complex, and personal verse left a lasting mark on the English language and changed the public discourse about private matters.
In his Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry, Robert Lowell put his manic-depressive illness (now known as bipolar disorder) into the public domain, creating a language for madness that was new and arresting. As Dr. Jamison brings her expertise in mood disorders to bear on Lowell's story, she illuminates not only the relationships among mania, depression, and creativity but also the details of Lowell's treatment and how illness and treatment influenced the great work that he produced (and often became its subject). Lowell's New England roots, early breakdowns, marriages to three eminent writers, friendships with other poets such as Elizabeth Bishop, many hospitalizations, vivid presence as both a teacher and a maker of poems - Jamison gives us the poet's life through a lens that focuses our understanding of his intense discipline, courage, and commitment to his art. Jamison had unprecedented access to Lowell's medical records as well as to previously unpublished drafts and fragments of poems, and she is the first biographer to have spoken with his daughter, Harriet Lowell. With this new material and a psychologist's deep insight, Jamison delivers a bold, sympathetic account of a poet who was - both despite and because of mental illness - a passionate, original observer of the human condition.
Critic Reviews
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Margaret C. Neumann
- 10-05-2017
Review of Robert Lowell by Kay Jamison
Powerful, tragic, and elegiac. Mr. Lowell was a genius with great pain and great courage ( although he often sounded like a nightmare you were literally screaming to wake up from). Dr. Jamison writes with understanding and warmth and is a poet in her own right. One can only hope that Mr. Lowell has found peace.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Whitney
- 25-02-2019
The best biography I have ever read
This is an amazing book. Robert Lowell was a person who faltered, a lot. But also openly and honestly reflected on it with much sincerity and brutal truth. He lets us learn lessons through his life and therefore his work. His work was his life. Even if you aren’t interested in poetry I recommend this. Especially if you suffer from bipolar as I do. I felt like I was listening to the life of an old friend. I was brought to tears many times. Having mental illness, being able to relate to someone else who suffered with such close relation thanks to his openness is comforting. I was sad this ended.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marianne
- 01-09-2017
Fabulous and fascinating
Where does Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Although in many ways a tragic biography of one of Americas great poets, the reading is so intelligent and sensitive it makes the whole experience come to life
What other book might you compare Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire to and why?
dont know
Which character – as performed by Jefferson Mays – was your favorite?
robert Lowell
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
no
Any additional comments?
Jefferson Mays is a terrific reader
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Judith
- 10-09-2019
Don't bother
Just doesn't have the quality and interest of her other books. We read it for our book club of intellectual folks and everyone hated the book.. We all like Jamison so it was a surprise. Also why did she have male narrator. She writes the book from her voice so it doesn't make any sense. The poetry is good otherwise b o r I n g.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Shelly Weiss
- 20-03-2018
Repetitive. Had trouble following along.
Couldn't get into the reading flow because the content was so scattered. Not what I was expecting.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- W. T. Baker
- 01-03-2018
Disappointing
Is there anything you would change about this book?
Mediocre writing from a Jamison, whose books I have enjoyed. Lowell's life is not particularly interesting from the outside, and there is nothing here Jamison hasn't covered. I am sorry I spent a credit on this book. I am a poet, and I have Bipolar 2.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael J. Kelley
- 22-05-2017
The Perfect Combination
Would you listen to Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire again? Why?
Yes. The story itself is remarkable, and the poetry that is woven through the story is enhanced by the reading of it.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire?
The numerous examples of Lowell's courage "under fire"...that is, his ability to repeatedly return to his creative self after multiple attacks of mania and depression.
What about Jefferson Mays’s performance did you like?
His reading of Lowell's poetry was superb!
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me realize what those with bipolar psychosis must deal with and what courage it takes to know that, even under therapy, this disease can come back into their lives without warning.
Any additional comments?
This was a tour de force by Dr. Jamison! She captured Robert Lowell's life, his creativity, his mental illness and his courage in one complex portrait. No biography that I have read has ever so accurately portrayed the essence of the two elements of creativity and mental illness in terms that a layperson or a medical professional could understand. Her feat was likely facilitated by her own experience with manic depressive disease. Her creative and empathetic writing is exhibited for all to enjoy in this amazing book!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- malcolm harris
- 14-05-2017
Amazing work incredibly well read.
Where does Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of the best.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Lowell, of course
Which character – as performed by Jefferson Mays – was your favorite?
Jefferson Mays was terrific, waspy, perfect for Jamison'sbook
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Total
Any additional comments?
Incredible insight into Manic depression affective disorder , its negatives and positives
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joe Moore
- 03-08-2017
AMAZING!
Ethereal and magical. Just what you'd expect from Miss Jamison. The narration is excellent too.
20 Best Fantasy Audiobooks
This genre is so full of talent, it can be difficult to know what to listen to next — so look no further than this list to get you started.
20 Best Nonfiction Audiobooks
From the entire history of humanity to astrophysics, to our gut and mental health, dig into this list and learn something new.
Best Australian Podcasts on Audible
Audible Original Podcasts are free for Audible members. Check out this list of home-grown content, from binge-worthy true crime to self-help.
