There are ninety poems in Jonathan Roper’s new collection, his retelling of the Alexander Romance, the story of Alexander the Great. The narrative covers Alexander’s legendary life from birth to death, encompassing love, battle, and marvels. The story has appeared in dozens of renditions and elaborations in places as far apart as Malaysia, England, and Ethiopia. So, ‘As the Text Tells’ is a highly suitable publication to launch our series of works written by folklorists. And as the narration of something that has been retold many times before, it embodies key properties of folklore, like repetition and variation, while not neglecting narrative pleasure.
Each purchase of the album includes a pdf with the text of the entire collection. The digital tracks are typically grouped into sets of six poems, named for the first poem in their group.
Jonathan Roper works as Associate Professor of English and Comparative Folklore at the University of Tartu. This is his seventh verse collection. His author page can be found at jonathanroper.org. Out now on Spirit Duplicator.
Purchase Cassette: Jonathan Roper – As The Text Tells
Joyful Union Cassette Resource 