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Anglo-Saxon Portraits
- Thirty Ground-Breaking Men and Women of the Early English Nation
- Narrated by: Barbara Yorke, David Almond, full cast, Michael Wood, Rowan Williams, Seamus Heaney
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Europe
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Summary
The half millennium between the creation of the English nation in around 550 and the Norman Conquest in 1066 was a formative one. This groundbreaking series rediscovers the Anglo-Saxons through vivid portraits of 30 incredible men and women, as told by their contemporary admirers.
Nobel Prize-winner Seamus Heaney discusses the Beowulf bard; former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams focuses on St Augustine, the first archbishop of Canterbury; Michael Wood celebrates Penda, the much-maligned last pagan king of England; Barbara Yorke tells the story of Hild of Whitby, the powerful abbess and largely forgotten pre-feminism model; and writer David Almond investigates the oldest surviving English poet, Caedmon.
From royalty to peasants, the women behind the Bayeux Tapestry to rebellious nuns, Anglo-Saxon Portraits unravels the mysteries of a too often forgotten period in British history.
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What listeners say about Anglo-Saxon Portraits
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Scott R
- 28-11-20
A great walk through anglo saxon England
A great audio book about interesting people in bite sized sections by interesting academics. This audio book goes through the main who's who of the anglo saxon age
4 people found this helpful
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- staghound
- 14-03-21
A fantastic listen!
Ever wanted to go deeper with the Anglo Saxons? You won't regret listening to this collection of essays! Full of insight and depth, and a great listen .
1 person found this helpful
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- D. Bowring
- 11-12-21
A great gallery of portraits
Concise and gripping biographies, beautifully performed. Michael Wood in particular is a characteristically brilliant reader.