George Oppen

photo: Michael West

reading at the 92nd Street Y, 1967 (27:45)
introduction by Armand Schwerner (4:09): MP3
Of Being Numerous, read in its entirety (23:40): MP3




Readings at the Poetry Center at the San Francisco State University: February 19, 1963
1. The Image of the Engine (3:58) MP3
2. Song (0:58) MP3
3. From a Photograph (0:48) MP3
4. Undertaking in New Jersey (1:17) MP3
5. Solution (0:57) MP3
6. Chartres (0:38) MP3
7. The Source (0:33) MP3
8. Daedalus: The Dirge (0:38) MP3
9. Poem on the Elders (0:48) MP3
10. Population (0:50) MP3
11. Survival Infantry (0:53) MP3
12. Tourist Eye: Section Four (1:25) MP3
13. Resort (0:43) MP3
14. Flight (0:55) MP3

Complete Reading (20:30) MP3

readings at the Poetry Center at San Francisco State University: February 19, 1963 & February 22 1973
1. Disaster (3:35)
2. The Dream (0:28)
3. "Strange are the Products of Draftsmanship..." (1:16)
4. Song, the Winds of Downhill (2:34)
5. And Their Winter and Night in Disguise (4:17)
6. "Silver as the Needle's Eye..." (2:53)
7. The Impossible Poem (1:15)
8. "Wives, Husbands being killed..." (2:37)
9. Transparent Mechanics (2:10)
10. But So As By Fire (1:27)
11. Route (13:36)
12. Song, the Winds of Downhill (0:45)
13. From a Phrase of Simon Weil's (1:20)
14. The Speech at Soli (2:20)
15. A Morality Play (1:56)
16. And Their Winter and Night in Disguise (6:28)
17. The Taste (1:02)
18. The Impossible Poem (1:57)
19. The Book of Hours (2:51)
20. Inland (0:50)
21. The Occurrences (1:09)
22. West (1:43)
23. Animula (1:33)
24. The Hegelian Bell (0:58)
25. Exodus (0:59)
26. from "Exodus" (0:52)
27. The Image of the Engine (3:51)
28. Psalm (0:50)
29. From a Photograph (0:49)
30. The Undertaking in New Jersey (1:18)
31. Solution (0:55)
32. Stranger's Child (0:22)
33. Chartres (0:42)
34. The Source (0:40)
35. Daedalus: The Dirge (0:45)
36. A Narrative (0:49)
37. Population (0:48)
38. Survival Infantry (0:51)
39. The Tourist's Eye (1:24)
40. Resort (0:48)
41. Flight (1:18)
42. from "Image of the Engine" (0:52)
43. Narrative (0:42)
44. Leviathan (1:03)
45. Of Being Numerous (9:33)

Complete Recording (1:33:33): mp3

Original recording by the Poetry Center at San Francisco State University. PennSound publication made with thanks to the Poetry Center at San Francisco State University for their archival work.



reading at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, July 5, 1973
1. Anniversary Poem (1:37)
2. Of Hours (2:14)
3. from Of Being Numerous (5:39)
4. The Forms of Love (0:51)
5. Song, the Winds of Downhill (2:28)
6. Discussion with Eric Homberger (17:04)

complete reading (29:57): mp3

(thanks to Rachel Blau DuPlessis for providing this recording)



from Selected Readings, 1979 recording
1. Of Being Numerous (Sec. 1-22) (10:30)
2. Historic Pun (1:06)
3. Ballad (1:18)
4. From a Phrase of Simone Weil's and Some Words of Hegel's (0:58)
5. The Occurrences (1:01)
6. Animula (1:03)
7. West (1:34)
8. Song, Winds of Downhill (0:32)
9. A Morality Play: Preface (1:30)
10. The Translucent Mechanics (0:52)
11. Silver As... (0:56)
12. O Withering Seas... (0:51)
13. The Taste (0:56)
14. The Impossible Poem (0:50)
15. But So As By Fire (0:53)
16. Exodus (0:42)
17. Latitude, Longitude (0:33)
18. The Speech at Soli (1:18)
19. Primitive (13:27)

Recording History: All selections were recorded in Brooklyn, New York, April 25 & 29, 1979.
Credits: Selections 1-18, Collected Poems of George Oppen. Copyright © 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1974 by George Oppen. Reproduced by permission of New Directions Publishing Corporation. Primitive, Copyright © 1978 by George Oppen. Reproduced by permission of Black Sparrow Press.
Staff for this recording:
Producer: Poetry in Pubic Places
Recording Engineer: Verna Gillis
Editors: Verna Gillis, Michael Heller
Executive Producers: Alan Austin, Anne Becker

The work of George Oppen is available in two editions:

Complete Poems, ed. Michael Davidson (New York: New Directions, 2002)
Selected Poems, ed. Robert Creeley (New York: New Directions, 2003)

These sound recordings are being made available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights to this recorded material belong to Linda Oppen for the Estate of George Oppen. © 2004-2008 Linda Oppen. Used with permission of Linda Oppen. Distributed by PennSound.