Sir Kenneth Branagh and Lolita Chakrabarti give voice to All the Sonnets of Shakespeare

Sir Kenneth Branagh is one of the voices narrating the audiobook edition of All the Sonnets of Shakespeare, published by Cambridge University Press and now available through nook and other major platforms.

He is joined by actor and writer, Lolita Chakrabarti OBE, to read the book, which breaks new ground by arranging all of the sonnets, including those that appear in Shakespeare’s plays, in chronological order. By positioning the sonnets in their probable order of composition for the first time, the book casts fresh light on how and why Shakespeare wrote them.

Edited by Paul Edmondson and Sir Stanley Wells of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and published in 2020, the book has won praise from its celebrity narrators.

Sir Kenneth said:

This new arrangement of Shakespeare’s sonnets is a revelation. Paul Edmondson, and Stanley Wells have truly illuminated the author’s themes, preoccupations and obsessions. In so doing the poems have a fresh, and startlingly clear narrative progression. Thanks to their scholarship I found myself experiencing this work as never before. There is a directness, simplicity, and humanity, which shines from the page. It was an honour to read them in this form. I hope a large audience will enjoy seeing (and hearing), this new light shone on a great literary treasure.

Lolita Chakrabarti commented:

Exploring the sonnets hidden in some of Shakespeare’s most revered plays gives a new flavour and dynamic to those characters. It draws our attention to the author’s intention in each play, where he makes a character unexpectedly speak in poetry. It illuminates that moment and poses new questions. The detailed and extremely in-depth introduction strongly supports the original works and allows us to examine all of Shakespeare's sonnets in a new, exciting and precise way. I learned a lot from reading this. I hope others will too.

Paul Edmondson, Head of Research at The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, added: "We are thrilled that Sir Kenneth Branagh is taking on the voice of Shakespeare himself by reading the 154 sonnets published in 1609. What is more Lolita Chakrabarti and he, two of the finest actors of their generation, are now adding to that number. In collaborating with the latest scholarship they are setting forth all 182 of Shakespeare sonnets, written over thirty years - freshly revealing personal poems and dramatic sonnet speeches."

Our commissioning editor for literature, Emily Hockley, said: "We are delighted that Lolita and Kenneth are lending their wonderfully distinctive voices to this landmark edition of the sonnets. We couldn’t have wished for more and we hope their readings will enable listeners and readers alike to enjoy and to think about the sonnets afresh."

The audiobook can be downloaded from nook, Scribd and Google Play, and you can buy the print version of All the Sonnets of Shakespeare from our website.