Charles Olson

Studio Recording at Black Mountain College, c. 1954

complete reading (11:31): MP3

At San Francisco State University, 1957

From Maximus, vol. 1
1. I, Maximus of Gloucester, to You [I.1] (4:01)
2. The Songs of Maximus [I.13-16] 3:11)
3. Maximus, Letter 7 (Marsden Hartley's eyes) [I:30-38] (5:44)
4. Maximus, Letter 10 [1:45-51] (3:39)

From Maximus, vol. 2
5. Letter 14 (6:11)
6. Letter 15 (5:12)
7. Maximus, The Twist (3:40)
8. Second Century Song (0:30)
9. Anecdotes of the Late War (0:43)
10. The Love of Anat (0:34)
11. The O'Ryan Poems (3:32)

Reading in Boston, June 1962

complete reading (1:08:51): MP3

At Goddard College, April 12-14, 1962

At the Vancouver Poetry Festival, August 16, 1963

Complete Recording (2:45:53)

1. Maximus, from Dogtown II [II;9-10] (4:18)
2. Maximus, to himself.as of 'Phoemicians'  [II:111] (1:14)
3. Maximus, to Gloucester, Letter 27 [withheld] [II-14-15] [1:5-8] (2:14)
4. Maximus further on (December 28th1959) [II:13] (1:11)
5. The Poem (0:28)
6. River #1 (1:19)
7. River #2 (0:46)
8. Okeanos' dream (1:18)
9. The South East Wind (1:20)
10. I Tell You It's cruel (2:34)
11. Three Poems (1:45)
12. Of Old Times (2:12)
13. They said she went out (0:23)
14. A Maximus (2:08)
15. A coast is not the same as land (9:59)
16. Maximus Letter Whatever (2:19)
17. First Stevens Song (1:22)
18. Upward Choking on Dogtown (1:17)
19. I force the calm grey waters (1:08)
20. By the way into the woods (0:22)
21. The rock listens to itself (0:42)
22. Later Tyrian business [II:36] (1:26)
23. For Robert Duncan who understands (8:48)
24. Further completion of Platt (3:58)
25. Untitled (1:11)
26. A prayer (0:37)
27. All having breakfast (0:59)
28. Gee Avenue (0:25)
29. Where is the B. Elery (0:11)
30. Maximus Written to be a note to myself (about Stevens) (3:01)
31. 23 School and 16 Columbia (2:12)
32. I stand on Main St. (0:33)
33. Letter 72 (1:46)
34. Descartes solider in a time of religious wars (0:45)
35. In the interleaved almanacs of 1646 (1:55)
36. Of the Parsons (3:33)
37. The Beginnings (5:38)
38. Maximus at the Harbour (2:56)
39. 2nd Century Song (7:10)
40. from "Fort Point section," Maximus II [II:83ff] (7:40)
41. from Maximus II, final poems [II:199- 202] (5:33)
42. The Songs of Maximus [I.13-16] (6:22)
43. Maximus, to Himself  ("I have had to learn the simplest things / last ..." [I:52-53] (2:26)
44. The Blue Monster (0:57)
45. The Lordly & Isolate Satyr (8:38)
46. Le Bonheur (2:22)
47. The Charge (2:37)
48. Spring (1:16)
49. As the Dead Prey Upon Us (10:25)
50. Kingfishers (6:31)
51. Letter 3 ("Tansy buttons ..." [I:9-16] (8:00)


These recordings were originally made available to the Slought Foundation by Fred Wah. PennSound publication made with thanks to Slought and with the permission of Fred Wah and the Olson Estate.

Also of Interest:
In Cold Hell, In Thicket (8:38) (Unidentified location/date)
Reading at Beloit College (50:51) (Unidentified date)

These sound recordings are being made available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights to this recorded material belong to the author's estate. © 2004-2007, The Estate of Charles Olson. Used with permission of the Olson Estate. Distributed by PennSound.