Audiobook · read by volunteers
I'm Nobody
Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)
Read by Alan Davis Drake (1945-2010), Abby Moore, Ancilla, Atalanta Pendragonne, Betsie Bush, EnglishNomad, Howard Dratch, Julian Jamison, Justin Brett, Jennette Selig · 17 chapters · 11 min
About the book
Emily Dickinson's short poem begins with a whisper of an introduction: she is nobody, and perhaps you are too. Written with her usual compression and wit, it mocks the idea of being a somebody, and compares public fame to the croaking of a frog. Seventeen readings by LibriVox volunteers are collected here, and Dickinson's own manuscript offers two possible versions of the poem, a question scholars still debate. Hearing it again and again shows how every voice finds a different humor, a different hush and a different degree of mischief. The collection lasts about twelve minutes, so you can enjoy all the readings, or find the voice you prefer. A short and lovely program that rewards repeated listening, and a good opportunity to sample an original voice in only a few minutes. You may well come away with a favorite reader.
Introduction
Emily Dickinson (1830 to 1886) lived most of her life in Amherst, Massachusetts, writing nearly two thousand poems that were mostly unpublished during her lifetime. After her death, her sister discovered the manuscripts, and the poems were edited and published, slowly gaining the reputation that places Dickinson among the most original poets in the English language. Her style is unmistakable: short lines, unexpected capitals and dashes, and a mind that moves quickly from the small and domestic to the vast and strange.
I'm Nobody is one of her best known short poems. It plays with the contrast between private modesty and public display, and does so with a sly humor that is never unkind. The text exists in more than one form, and scholars have debated which one she preferred. Only one of the two versions is recorded here, but that is enough to show how much the tone of the poem depends on the voice.
The recording is part of the weekly poetry project of LibriVox, in which a number of readers record the same text. Seventeen readings are included, and their combined length is about twelve minutes. This allows a closer kind of listening than a single recording could offer: you may find yourself noticing the pauses, the emphases and the little choices that give meaning to each line.
It is a quick and charming way to meet one of America's great poets. Many people first meet Dickinson in school, but a poem like this one takes on new life when heard aloud, in the voice of someone who has made it her own. Comparing the readings shows how a very short text can open many possibilities, and why her poems continue to attract new readers.
Public domain
Emily Dickinson died in 1886: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text